Syria: Cornerstone of Hagia Sophia replica laid in Hama.

Notable Russian and Syrian military and religious figures attended a ceremony whereby the cornerstone of a miniature replica of the iconic Hagia Sophia was laid down in al-Suqaylabiyah, northwest of Hama on Saturday. Moscow announced it would help fund the construction of the replica following a controversial July decision by Ankara to convert Istanbul’s iconic original Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque. The project was the brainchild of Syrian National Defence Forces’ Nabel al-Abdullah who reportedly had the blessings of the bishop of the Orthodox Church of Hama Nicolas Baalbaki who was also in attendance. The commander of the Russian Armed Forces group in Syria, Lieutenant General Alexander Chaiko addressed the audience in the ceremony saying, “It will be a historical bridge between the best and spiritually moral traditions of the past, present and the future.”