Saint Sofia

2020: For 5 years, 13.9 million tourists bought tickets to the museum for $50 million

In March 2021, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy, at the request of the opposition Kemalist People's Republican Party of Turkey, called the figures for attendance and profitability of Hagia Sofia, which in July 2020 was turned from a museum into a mosque.

According to the minister, during the period from 2015 to July 10, 2020, 13 million 925 thousand 310 tourists visited St. Sophia, who paid 455 million 278 thousand 568 lira for their visit.

At the rate of the Turkish lira to the ruble as of March 2021, it can be said that about 4.5 billion rubles or $60 million were received from the sale of tickets.

In fact, more, taking into account the fact that in 2015 for 1 dollar they gave from 2.3 to 3.0 lire (at the beginning and end of the year), and in March 2021 - 7.6 lire.

But even according to the most modest assumptions, the annual sale of tickets to St. Sophia brought at least $10 million a year.

We add a little mathematics: in the same period of time, a total of 188 million tourists visited Turkey. With a certain degree of conditionality, it can be considered that up to 7% of foreign tourists visited St. Sophia. In fact, of course, smaller - since not only guests from abroad, but also local residents visited the museum. But, anyway, a serious enough indicator for one location. But what a...

Will Saint Sophia retain its attractiveness for non-Muslim visitors in the conditions when the status of a mosque is returned to it, the second floor is closed, movements are carried out only through special passages and frescoes are draped during the namaz?

According to the Turkish authorities, which she repeatedly voiced, on the contrary, everything became better for visitors, since it became free and free.