ICOM and ICOMOS
Joint Statement
on Hagia Sophia
Along with the international community, ICOMand ICOMOS jointly express
their concerns regard-ing the decision by the Turkish authorities to reverse
the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, and the repercussions
this may have in terms of the conservation and accessibility of this
outstanding artistic and cultural heritage.
Since 1934,Hagia Sophia has been a museum, a decisionmotivated as a
symbolic gesture to openly present to the public the spectacularmulti-layered
cultural richness of thismonument. The Turkish people and tourists from all
over the world have since then had the opportunity to visit this
architec-turalmasterpiece and contemplate its stunning works of art of the
Byzantine andOttomanperiods, an intercultural exchange inscribed in
themuseum’sDNA.
ICOMhas been advocating for decades the role ofmu-seums as meeting
places open to all people without dis-tinction, a creative space where people
can engage with cultural heritage in all its dimensions, connecting past,
present and future.
Alberto Garlandini, ICOMPresident
ICOMOS hopes that the artistic works representing
all the cultural layers of Hagia Sophia will continue to be
accessible side by side, as has been possible since the
creation of themuseum in 1934.
Toshiyuki Kono, ICOMOS President
The importance of this shared heritagewas strengthenedwith the
inscription of the monument on the UNESCO WorldHeritage List in 1985, and the
commitments this entails for Turkey as a State Party. It recognizesHagia
Sophia’s role as an irreplaceable testimony of a multicultural past and the
continuing dialogue between cultures – a monument that has stood the test of
time for the benefit of the present and future generations. ICOM and ICOMOS
share the opinion that conservation and accessibility must continue to be at
the heart of the management of Hagia Sophia, regardless of its future function
and jurisdiction.
While functioning as a museum,Hagia Sophia also served as a place for
education and research, benefiting from the exchange of knowledge between
curators, scholars and specialists. The continu-ous discussions gathering
Turkish and international experts certainly enrich the understanding of the
monument and support the conservation efforts to mitigate the effects of time
on the structure. The discussions among expertsmust also continue especially to
ensure the future care of Hagia So-phia in every aspect of its preservation.
ICOMexpresses its hope that Hagia Sofia’s function as a museum will
continue, emphasizing the importance of its preservation and continued
accessibility to the pub-lic and experts.
Peter Keller, ICOMDirector General
The Hagia Sophia’s presentation, intact with all its layers,
should not be obstructed, so thismagnificentmonument of
world architectural history can keep inspiring us all as a
symbol of interfaith brotherhood andworld peace.
ICOMOS Turkey
For these reasons, ICOM and ICOMOS, and their respective committees
which have already ex-pressed their sadness to see this symbolicmonument losing
itsmuseumstatus, concurwith thestate-mentsmade by partner organisations such
asUNESCO aswell as the academic community.
Paris, 15 July 2020.
ΠΗΓΗ: ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ,
15.7.2020.
ΛΕΞΕΙΣ: ΑΓΙΑ ΣΟΦΙΑ
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