Thousands of believers performed prayers at the Hagia Sophia shrine, which opened on Friday for prayers for the first time since Turkish authorities ruled that it could be converted into a mosque.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 11 had said the first prayers at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia shrine will take place on July 24. This month, when a Turkish court ruled that use of the historic structure as anything other than a mosque was “not possible legally,” religious and political leaders worldwide criticised the decision. The decision to convert the structure into a museum was taken in 1934.
On Friday, after an opening ceremony, about 1,000 people wearing masks were allowed in through security checkpoints, while others laid prayer mats outside.
Leaders from Azerbaijan and Qatar were also present for the opening ceremony.
Mats were placed apart in secured areas outside the building in Sultanahmet Square. As crowds grew, leaving little space for social distancing, authorities stopped people entering the area due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral between 532 and 537AD, it was converted into a mosque when the Ottoman empire took over nine centuries later.
The secular opposition party that runs Istanbul has described the move to turn it back into a mosque after 86 years as political rather than religious.
