Hagia Sophia Thread
In court, representatives of the association, the Permanent Foundations and Service to Historical Artefacts and the Environment argued that the building was endowed as a mosque under Mehmed II, the conqueror of Istanbul who owned the property. (1/n)
In court, representatives of the association, the Permanent Foundations and Service to Historical Artefacts and the Environment argued that the building was endowed as a mosque under Mehmed II, the conqueror of Istanbul who owned the property. (1/n)
The Council of State's 10th circle said in the judgement that the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II registered Hagia Sophia as an endowment that could be only used as a mosque. (2/n)
"The property belongs to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation. The charter of the foundation presents the building as a mosque for the public use and it has been registered as a mosque in the land registry," the judgement said. (3/n)
"The state has the responsibility to ensure the use of the endowment as the donor wishes. The charters also make it impossible to utilise the building other than a mosque. Therefore the cabinet decision isn't consistent with the rule of law and it is uanimously cancelled." (4/n)
Basically there was nothing wrong in the court's decision infact the Ataturk govt misused his position to violate the charters of the endowment (n/n)
Keeping in mind the title deed for the property belongs to Sultan #Fatih who legally purchased it with his own money before giving it as an endowment for Muslims and turning it into a mosque centuries ago. Not even just captured by right of conquest - the norm at the time.
