Gli

Gli (c. 2004 – 7 November 2020)[1][2] was a Turkish European Shorthair cat best known for living in the Hagia Sophia Mosque, for which she became an Internet celebrity, grabbing the attention of visiting tourists. Gli was born in 2004 and was raised at Hagia Sophia. She gained significant media attention when the Hagia Sophia was re-opened to worship in 2020.

Gli
Gli at the Hagia Sophia in 2009
SpeciesCat (Felis catus)
BreedEuropean Shorthair
SexFemale
Bornc. 2004
Hagia Sophia, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
Died7 November 2020
Levent, Istanbul, Turkey
Resting placeHagia Sophia
Nation from Turkey
Known forLiving in Hagia Sophia
Parent(s)Sofya

Gli died on 7 November 2020, after receiving treatment in a veterinary clinic in Levent, Istanbul, since 24 September. It was announced that she will be buried in the premises of the Hagia Sophia. The Instagram account @hagiasophiacat was dedicated to Gli and was followed by more than 118,000 people at the time of her death.

Life

Gli was born at Hagia Sophia in 2004, and she had 2 siblings, Pati and Kızım. Gli was loved by the tourists who visited Hagia Sophia, which was a museum at the time, and she became a symbol of Hagia Sophia. Gli was first popular when Barack Obama visited Hagia Sophia in 2009, he and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stroked Gli. After it was told that Hagia Sophia was re-opening to worship, Gli was posted all over social media and became famous again. After the news of Hagia Sophia re-opening for worship, Gli's fate was on the news as well. Presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın, made a statement: "That cat has become very famous, and there are others who haven’t become that famous yet. That cat will be there, and all cats are welcome to our mosques."[3]

Gli died in 2020 at veterinary clinic in Levent, after she had received treatment since 24 September, according to Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya.[2]

References
  1. "Hagiasophiacat". Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. "Famous Hagia Sophia cat Gli dies at age 16". Daily Sabah. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. Usta, Bülent; Küçükgöçmen, Ali (24 July 2020). "Gli the cat can stay even as Istanbul's Hagia Sophia changes". Retrieved 26 July 2020.

Further reading
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