THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HAGIA SOPHIA FATIH MADRASA WAS HELD WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKIYE H.E. MR. RECEP TAYYIP ERDOĞAN

Hagia Sophia Fatih Madrasa (Medrese) which was revived after 86 years by our Directorate General in Istanbul, was reopened with the participation of The President of The Republic of Türkiye H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony The President of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said “We have taken a very important step in carrying our magnificent past to the present and the future, and bringing it together with our people. Thanks to the Hagia Sophia Fatih Madrasa, which we have opened today, we are bringing another work to our city, the traces of which are wanted to be erased. Each endowment is also a deposit entrusted to us. After the conquest of Istanbul, this place was put into service as the first madrasa of the city, next to Hagia Sophia. I hope that , tomorrow’s scholars, intellectuals, scientists and researchers will grow in our madrasa. I congratulate everyone who contributed to the bringing of this outstanding work to our country in a very short time like 13 months”.

To the opening with the participation of The President of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, The Speaker of The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mr. Mustafa Şentop, The President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Mr. Ali Erbaş, The Communications Director Republic of Türkiye Mr. Fahrettin Altun, Presidency Spokesperson Mr. İbrahim Kalın, The Government of Istanbul Mr. Ali Yerlikaya, The Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, The Minister of Industry and Technology Mr. Mustafa Varank, AK Party Deputy Chairman Mr. Binali Yıldırım and Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş, our Director General Mr. Burhan Ersoy and cabinet members attended. 

Hagia Sophia Fatih Madrasa was first converted into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmet the Conqueror and the building called the priest’s chambers in the northwest of Hagia Sophia was put into service as madrasa. The building, which has continued to function as a madrasa over the time, has undergone maintenance and repair works in almost every period; during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz, it was demolished between 1869 and 1874 and rebuilt on the foundations of the old madrasa. While the madrasa was used as the Daru’l-Hilafetü’l-Aliye Madrasa, it was considered as Dormitory for orphans by the Istanbul Municipality in 1924. When Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1934, the madrasa was used as Orphans’ Dormitory for a while, and it was demolished in 1936 due to its dilapidation and unsuitabilty for use.

Our Directorate General started the reconstruction works of Hagia Sophia Fatih Madrasa in 2021 and completed the restution and reconstruction arrangement in 2022.