Thousands of Turks gathered near Hagia Sophia early on Friday for the first prayers there since President Tayyip Erdogan declared the monument, revered by Christians and Muslims for almost 1,500 years, a mosque once again.
People stand and sit outside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque as they wait for the beginning of Friday prayers, for the first time after it was once again declared a mosque after 86 years, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 24, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
“We are ending our 86 years of longing today,” said one man Sait Colak, referring to the nearly nine decades since Hagia Sophia was declared a museum and ceased to be a place of worship. “Thanks to our president and the court decision today we are going to have our Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia.” The president was scheduled to attend Friday prayers shortly after 1 pm along with several hundred invitees for the ceremony in the sixth-century building.
The conversion triggered fierce criticism from church leaders, who said the conversion to exclusively Muslim worship risked deepening religious divisions. Turkey says the site will remain open for visitors and its Christian artworks protected.
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