An annotated bibliography of sources on the topic of:

Religious Affiliations of the Hagia Sofia

compiled and annotated by Alice Xu
for the course CAS CC 204: Religion and Secularism in Spring 2015


United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. “Turkey: Statement on Hagia Sophia” Last modified May 21, 2014. http://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases/turkey-statement-hagia-sophia

Press release following a Turkish bill that proposes to change Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. Condemns the move on grounds of alienating religious minorities in Turkey.

YouTube. “Motion presented in Turkish parliament to turn Hagia Sophia into mosque” Last modified May 8, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qP_ZWl4XrQ

Video clip from Press TV, an Iranian international news network, that interviews “people on the ground” about their opinions on the proposed bill. The people asked all respond that they do not want Hagia Sophia to be turned back into a mosque. “Most people seem to think it is a mere political ploy” (well that hundred thousands strong petition seems to disagree but).

Robert Mark and Ahmet Ş Çakmak, Hagia Sophia from the Age of Justinian to the Present. New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1992.

Book that examines the history of the Justinian Hagia Sophia through the ages. Focus on architecture and art, but offers a clear picture of what changes were made and by whom in the building’s history.

Henry Matthews “From the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day” in Hagia Sophia, by W. Eugene Kleinbauner, Antony White, and Henry Matthews, 81-123. London: Scala Publishers 2004.

A section from a book on the history of Hagia Sophia that deals with its transformation into a mosque and into a museum under Ataturk.

John Freely, Istanbul The Imperial City. London: Penguin Group, 1996

Another history of Istanbul and Constantinople. I haven’t finished reading this one yet though.

“Church to Mosque…and back?” The Economist, May 10, 2014. Accessed March 31, 2015. http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21601895-talk-haghia-sophia-once-again-becoming-mosque-church-mosqueand-back
News coverage on Erdogan’s plan to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

Alan Jean Yackley, “Muslims pray to turn Turkey’s greatest monument back into a mosque”. Reuters UK, May 30th, 2014. Accessed April 01, 2015. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/30/uk-turkey-hagiasophia-idUKKBN0EA1OC20140530

News article that documents the past instances of Muslim advocacy to turn Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. Also states Greek Christian views on the proposed bills.

Kadri Gursel, “The AKP’s Hagia Sophia Campaign” Al Monitor, June 03, 2014. Accessed April 01, 2015. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2014/06/turkey-hagia-sophia-mosque-debate-islamists.html

News article that focuses on the political party behind the mosque-conversion bill and their past actions and current beliefs.

Timothy E. Gregory, A History of Byzantium. Malden: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

In depth historical text on the history of the Byzantine Empire. I’m mainly interested in the age of Justinian and the siege of Constantinople sections.


<< Return to the CC 204 Bibliographies homepage