Cat Has Been Living In The Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, For 16 Years And Tourists Are Obsessed With Her

by Ayoub

People don't always think of cats when they think of religious institutions, but maybe it's time to rethink that. We can start with one cat's story in Istanbul.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has played various different roles throughout history, it was built in 537 and went from being a Greek Orthodox basilica to a Catholic cathedral, then from an Ottoman imperial mosque to a museum. The President of Turkey recently announced that Hagia Sophia will be reclassified into a mosque.

President Erdoğan's decision has been deemed controversial and was condemned by UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, and many others. One furry resident of the Hagia Sophia doesn't seem to care what people call the place, because it will always be her home regardless.

Gli is a beautiful slightly crossed-eyes European shorthair cat who basically claimed the Hagia Sophia sixteen years ago. The sweet cat has been a resident there all that time and tourists are absolutely obsessed with her.

It's hard to imagine being in such a beautiful and old building and obsessing over the resident cat, unless you're as crazy about cats as we are. Then it makes purr-fect sense because cats.

One small step for this cat, one giant step for all kitty kind.

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Gli is quite popular on Instagram with over 47.2k followers. The cat's account is ran by Umut Bahceci, who was also born in Istanbul.

"I'm in love with this city," Bahceci told Bored Panda. "I've seen more than 20 countries and so many beautiful cities but deep in my heart, I believe that Istanbul is the Queen of all cities and Hagia Sophia is the crown of Istanbul."

Bahceci has a special kind of love for Hagia Sophia, which is one of the reasons why she decided to become a tour guide as a career while it was still a museum.

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Istanbul is so famous for its stray cats that many people have decided to make documentaries about them.

"It was normal to see cats both around and in Hagia Sophia, but there was something special about this one. I saw a light in her from the very beginning of our relationship. The way she poses, the way she walks, the way she behaves is totally different from other cats, even her sister Kizim."

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"One day, I saw her in the newspaper in a photo with Obama and President Erdoğan," Bahceci said. "It was then that I learned her name."

Gli actually means 'union of love', which perfectly describes the cat's character.

After watching Gli interact with people, Bahceci noticed that the cat actually brought everyone together in such a unique way. People of all races and religions couldn't help but smile when they met Gli.

"I created an Instagram account for Gli so that I could collect and keep her photos in one place. Eventually, people slowly started sending me their pictures of her," Bahceci said.

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If Gli could be described with one word, 'queen' would be the perfect description according to Bahceci. Posing for cameras is Gli's favorite thing to do, however, sometimes when Hagia Sophia becomes a little bit too overcrowded, the cat might opt to temporarily hide in a quiet corner. "In winter, she loves to be in front of the light projectors because they do a good job keeping her warm."

There are currently no plans to relocate Gli, so she will remain a resident of Hagia Sophia, which is her birthplace and where she grew up even before it was converted to a mosque.