The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan proceeded to a new kitsch light show combined with provocative messages over the Hagia Sophia.
This was the way Turkey chose to celebrate the 568th anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople.
During the event a message was heard “thank you to President Erdogan for turning the Hagia Sophia into a mosque”, while a little later in the TV broadcast, Muhammad the Conqueror and the inscription 1453 suddenly appeared above the Byzantine monument.
In the video there is a bizarre appearance of both the Noah’s Ark and of the the Ark of the Covenant for some surreal reason:
The Turkish side is provoking just a few hours before Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Greece on the 30th and 31st of May.
[IN PHOTOS] Turkey marks 568th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquesthttps://t.co/HudGpkHwrp pic.twitter.com/GT6ur5ri0z
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) May 29, 2021
“Muhammad said that Istanbul would definitely be conquered”, said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while his message was accompanied by an image of the Hagia Sophia that has been turned into a mosque.
Tarihimizin en ihtişamlı zaferlerinden biri olan İstanbul’un Fethi’nin 568. yıl dönümünü tebrik ediyorum.
Peygamber Efendimizin övgüsüne mazhar olan, bu eşsiz şehri medeniyet mirasımıza katan Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han’ı ve şanlı ordusunu rahmetle, hürmetle yâd ediyorum. pic.twitter.com/Qcoc02KtM1
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) May 29, 2021
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In his tweet, he talks about the Fall of Constantinople, stating: “Happy 568th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul, one of the most glorious victories in our history. We honor Muhammad the Conqueror and his glorious army, who added this unique city to our cultural heritage, with mercy and respect. We honor Sultan Mohammed, who with the blessing of the Prophet bequeathed civilization to this unique city. Muhammad said that ‘Istanbul will surely be conquered. What a great general the general who will conquer it, how great an army this army is”, he added.
It is recalled that on the eve of the sad 568th anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople, verses from the Koran were read to students of Islamic schools in Hagia Sophia by the Turkish president. In the end he did not refuse a photo with the young students.
It was preceded by the inauguration of the newly built Taksim Mosque in the center of the city, which was a personal dream of Erdogan since he was mayor of Constantinople.
Cavusoglu’s visit to Greece
Cavusoglu’s “private” visit to Thrace was announced to the Greek side -literally- at the last moment. Not even a month has passed since the visit to the same area by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of minority issues, Yavouz Selim Kiran, which was accompanied by provocative statements and posts on social networks.
Having put the provocative seismic surveys in the Eastern Mediterranean on ice, fearing mainly the US and less the EU, the Turkish government has chosen to use the minority in Thrace, both to put Greece on the negotiating table and to rally its electorate, at a time when President Erdogan’s popularity is at its lowest.
