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Historic areas of Istanbul [Our heritage]

Historic areas of Istanbul [Our heritage]

Published on 18 November 2020 - Updated 04 January 2021
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 4 ans

International cooperation, Culture

With its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque, all now under threat from population pressure, industrial pollution and uncontrolled urbanisation.

Hagia Sophia, on which building work began in the 6^th century, has over time served as a church (from the 6^th century to 1453), a mosque (from 1453 to 1934) and then a museum (from 1934 to 2020).

On 10 July 2020, the Turkish authorities decided to reopen the site to Muslim worship as a mosque, sparking grave concerns at international level. UNESCO initiated a review process to look in detail at each of the potential implications of this change in status, and their impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/356/