The Safety and Security of Religious Sites in Turkey

The aim of this article is to evaluate the implications of Turkey’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque, taking into account security issues and the impact of this decision on the stability of the region. The research includes an analysis of the Turkish authorities’ actions and the reception of this change by both Turks and the international community. The research conducted falls within the framework of security studies. The work is based on press sources published in Turkish. In addition, field research and unstructured interviews were conducted with Turkish and Greek scholars between 2020 and 2024. The results of the research indicate that the decision to transform Hagia Sophia did not have a significant impact on improving the security of the site. However, it has led to an exacerbation of tensions between Turkey and Greece and other NATO members, which could have serious implications for the functioning of the alliance

Field research · International security · Turkish · Electrical and Electromagnetic Research · Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping · Geological Modeling and Analysis