Hagia Sophia’s mosque conversion has Swiss fallout
People in Istanbul celebrate Turkey's decision that the 1,500 year old Unesco World Heritage site Hagia Sophia can be converted into a mosque
Keystone / Erdem Sahin
The Turkish government’s decision to revoke museum status of Istanbul’s most famous building, the Hagia Sophia, could cost a faraway Swiss company a lucrative contract, Turkish media reported.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Where does Switzerland stand in the world? And where is it heading? I focus on current and possible future developments.
After completing my studies (history, law and European studies), I worked for a time at the Swiss embassy in Athens. I have journalistic experience at home and abroad, at the local and national levels, as a freelancer and as a staff journalist. Today, it's with an international focus.
Originally a Byzantine cathedral, the Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after Istanbul’s conquest by the Ottoman Empire. It had been a museum for the last 86 years.
On July 10, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced that the site would be used again as a mosque following a court ruling that declared its historic conversion into a mosque illegal. The decision has caused controversy both inside and outside the country.
A protest in Italy: “hands off the Hagia Sofia”, also in the picture Northern League party leader Matteo Salvini (third from the right)
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
The move is expected to have financial consequences, as the Hagia Sophia is one of the key tourism sites in Istanbul. In 2019, had 3.7 million visitorsExternal link and was the most visited museum in Turkey. The entry price of CHF10 ($10.6) upwards made it a lucrative business.
But now the ticketing business is in question not only for the city but also for the Swiss company said to run its ticketing system.
According to the Turkish publication Daily SabahExternal link, SICPA, a Lausanne-based company, had won a Turkish ministry of culture and tourism tender in 2018 to provide this service. SICPA’s products are now used in 69 museums and cultural sites across Turkey, it said.
The Turkish news portal T24 reported earlier this weekExternal link that the future of the contract was in jeopardy. The Turkish media has speculated that the company would be compensated because the contract period should have lasted at least another seven years.
In Switzerland, the firm is best known for its security inks on bank notes, including last year’s new CHF100 note.
When contacted, SICPA stated that it worked “in the spirit of long-term cooperation” with government institutions and did not in general comment on their sovereign decisions.
The company produces the inks for 170 currencies around the world, including the US dollar and the Euro, and is considered a global leader in this domain. It is subject to strict confidentiality agreements with central banks and makes no details about this sensitive data public.External link SICPA also provides inks for sensitive documents.
In Switzerland it was recently announced that SICPA has been helping to develop digital health passports that could be used to certify who is immune to Covid-19.
The firm employs around 3,000 people and has belonged to the Amon family for three generations. No company figures have been officially released, but it is estimated in the Swiss mediaExternal link that turnover is CHF1- CHF1-5 billion per year.
Adapted from German
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Has your continent reached its peak or is there still potential for economic growth?
Some regions of the world are on an upward trajectory with the promise of a steadily improving future. Where do you live? And in which direction is your region or continent developing?
A tropical parasite spreads from Switzerland to Germany
This content was published on
A pest from the tropics is giving Swiss agriculture a hard time. The caterpillar of the tomato moth (Helicoverpa armigera) devours almost everything. The moth is now spreading northwards.
Over 10,000 people brave the rain for Geneva Lake Parade
This content was published on
The Lake Parade attracted more than 10,000 people to Geneva on Saturday afternoon in torrential rain. This techno and festive event took place in a reduced format and on an unusual reversed route because of the Women's Euro.
This content was published on
The Zurich cantonal police today arrested two men in Pfungen, a few kilometres from Winterthur (ZH), who were trying to rob a gun shop. Thefts in such businesses in Switzerland have multiplied recently.
This content was published on
Flight safety is reduced by the clogging of airspace, says Thomas Steffen, a pilot for Swiss and head of safety at Aeropers, the industry association.
Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann holds first major European exhibition in Thun
This content was published on
Das Kunstmuseum Thun richtet im August die erste grössere Europaausstellung der malaysischen Künstlerin Yee I-Lann aus. Darin werden Einflüsse des Kolonialismus aber auch das Fortbestehen des indigenen Erbes thematisiert.
Data from Swiss health foundation Radix leaked on the dark web
This content was published on
After the cyber attack suffered by the Radix foundation at the end of last month, sensitive personal data such as names and debts of people banned from casinos were published on the Darknet.
This content was published on
Companies with an externally validated net-zero target emit less CO2 than those without a climate target. This is the conclusion of a new analysis by the US financial services provider MSCI.
This content was published on
Swiss companies are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. In the past quarter, every single company in this country was the target of a cyber attack an average of 1097 times a week.
Swiss households faced 21 minutes of power outages in 2024
This content was published on
End customers experienced an average of 21 minutes of electricity interruption in 2024. This resulted in 0.34 power outages per capita. The duration of electricity interruptions increased by three minutes compared to the previous year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland mulls controversial Covid-19 health passports
This content was published on
Swiss technology firms and medical researchers are developing digital health passports that could be used to certify who is immune to Covid-19.
This content was published on
The new Swiss CHF20 now in circulation is 'billed' as the world's most secure bank note. Read more about that and 19 other facts.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.