As the Turkish government announced that the Hagia Sophia will be converted back into a mosque, one of the primary responses worldwide has been to assert that the edifice constitutes “universal” heritage, that it belongs to all of us.

Hagia Sophia has been converted back into a mosque, but the veiling of its figural icons is not a Muslim tradition.

Hagia Sophia, Turkish Ayasofya, Latin Sancta Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom, an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments.

According to the government, 99.8% of the Turkish population is Muslim (although some surveys give a slightly lower estimate of 97%) with the most popular school of thought (madhab) being the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. While there are also a minority of Sufi and non-denominational Muslims.

The French Parliament began an initial inquiry on the issue shortly after President Nicolas Sarkozy stated in June 2009 that religious face veils were “not welcome” within France. Sarkozy had stated that the law is to protect women from being forced to cover their faces and to uphold France’s secular values.

On 12 June 2017 and 20 July 2017, two small-scale tsunami events occurred in the Aegean Sea (Mw 6.3 and Mw 6.9, respectively), the former impacting the island of Lesvos (Greece) and the latter impacting the island of Kos (Greece) and the Bodrum region in Turkey, within a few minutes after the earthquakes.

On October 30 2020, the western province of İzmir, Turkey was hit by a 6.6-7.0 earthquake that primarily damaged Izmir city. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami which damaged coastal areas and towns of the province and was felt in provinces as far as Muğla and Manisa.

If an earthquake happens, protect yourself right away: If you are in bed, turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. If you are outdoors, stay outdoors away from buildings. If you are inside, stay and do not run outside and avoid doorways.