Restore Hagia Sophia!

jec1ny | 07-25-05 | jec1ny

[Petrosius]

You got a lot of work laid out for yourself if you really do want to put the building back into service ~ first you've gotta' recreate the Byzantine Empire, find an emperor, find the titled nobles, etc.

Works for me!

[GipperGal]

Works for me!

I'm cool with it too.

[Romish_Papist]

A knight of Malta no less!

Indeed. Knights Hospitaller, Knights of St. John, Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta. Many names, same lads! :)

[K. Smirnov]

Just FYI - not too long before the fall of Constantinople, the fellow Catholic brethren crusaders stormed and plundered the city, slaughtering their fellow Eastern Christians. That is how Hagia Sophia is actually a Catholic church and that is how Byzantine empire was in union with Rome.

As some commentator on History Channel says "in between 1400 and 1450 the population of Constantinople plummeted from 500000 to 50000". Such a figue laef. Guess, why is that? The absentees must have moved to countryside. No traffic, no pollution.

[Cronos]

Actually the minarets look nice. However, I agree with you about the cross being restored on top

[SaltyJoe]

My thoughts of return a great Cathedral are to just hand over the keys. No apology, payment, restoration, whatever needed.

If my great great great, etc. grandpa lost property to someone else for whatever reason, the the great great great, etc. son of that ancient man of the past now was in a position to just hand over the long lost property, then I'd graciously just accept the property and give a generous heartfelt thanks in reply.

If I lost a car to a theif (and I'm not calling Turkey a "thief", but just using an analogy), and the son of that thief is a cop that recovered the car (and I can consider Turkey like a "cop" since Turkey is in a position of authority), then I'd graciously accept the returned property.

If I lost a daughter to a kidnapper (and I'm not calling Turkey a "kidnapper", but just using an analogy), and someone of authority returned the daughter and the criminal no longer existed to demand justice, then I'd thank the authority graciously for returning my flesh and blood and always cherish the action and those who had the moral courage to do it. I wouldn't "demand" an apology, payment, and definitely not want the kidnapper criminal to "restore" anything of my daughter's cosmetic appearance.

Turkey is a very different nation compared to the rest of her neighbors. There's no reason to lump her into the same category as any other country or culture since it's irresponsible and unfair. If she is looking at the opportunity to return the Hagia Sophia, then I certainly welcome and encourage it...with no strings or hard feelings attached, but I would express a deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks.

[muir_redwoods]

"Restore Hagia Sophia!"

Here's a better idea, fill the churches you already have.

[brooklyn dave]

Give it back to the Patriarch of Constantinople. By the way, the Greek Orthodox Church in North and South America are directly under the patriarch....that's where they get all their ducats from. Turkish Muslims will never give that building up. If they restore it to an active church, jiahdis will try and blow it up.

[muawiyah]

No doubt there are folks who would try to blow the building up no matter how it was put to use ~ if that use is for anything other than as a museum.

Rather than argue over it, we should be amazed that the ancients actually built so well.

Years ago I took the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT). Many Freepers remember that test.

The first question was a "write in" ~ no multiple choice. The picture was of Hagia Sophia from the less well known "rear" prospect.

Almost no one answered that question correctly, which is a shame, because "From Russia With Love" came out in 1963, and almost everybody of college age for an entire decade had seen numerous pictures of Hagia Sophia from every angle!