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Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum to open to Muslim worshipers

A couple stand in front of Istanbul celebrity, Hagia Sophia, July 22, 2020 — Image title

Preparations for the opening of Hagia Sophia for Muslim worshipers were completed on Thursday

Friday prayers will be held at the iconic Hagia Sophia building in Istanbul for the first time since the celebrated museum was turned back into a mosque.

“Muslims are excited, everyone wants to be in the opening,” Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.

The 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage Site became a museum in 1934.

But earlier this month, a Turkish court annulled the status of the Hagia Sophia museum, saying its use like anything other than a mosque was not “legally possible”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then announced that the world-famous site would be used as a mosque for Friday prayers from Friday, July 24th.

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Mr Erdogan says Hagia Sophia will remain open to all Muslims, non-Muslims and visitors

The move was criticized by religious and political leaders around the world.

What will the prayers look like on the site?

In a televised speech Thursday, Governor Yerlikaya urged those attending Friday prayers to bring “[face] masks, a prayer rug, patience and understanding “as measures to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 would be in place.

He added that healthcare workers will be made available on this site.

Turkish Religious Affairs Minister Ali Erbas said about 1,000 people will be able to attend prayers in the country at any time.

He said “modifications” had been made inside and that a “garden building” had been prepared, adding that the site would remain open overnight.

Mr Erdogan is expected to be among the fans on Friday.

Why was Erdogan’s move controversial?

Islamic groups and devout Muslims in Turkey had long called for Sofia Hagia to become a mosque again, but members of the secular opposition opposed the move.

When President Erdogan announced the decision to do so on July 10, he was met with widespread criticism.

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Built almost 1,500 years ago, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque in 1453

Pope Francis responded by saying “his thoughts go to Istanbul”, adding: “I think of Santa Sophia and I am very painful.”

The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew I, warned that the conversion of the building would “disappoint millions of Christians” and break two worlds.

The World Council of Churches, which has 350 churches as members, called for the decision to be reversed, saying it would sow division.

Erdogan: Brave President of Turkey

But Mr Erdogan defended the move, saying the country had exercised its sovereign right.

“After 86 years, Hagia Sophia will serve again as a mosque, in the way Fatih the conqueror of Istanbul had shown in his work,” he said.

He added that the building will remain open to all Muslims, non-Muslims and foreign visitors.

What is the story

The iconic, domed building is located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, on the west bank of the Bosphorus, overlooking the Golden Horn port.

The complex history of Hagia Sophia began almost 1,500 years ago, when the Byzantine emperor Justinian built the great church in 537.

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The mosaics can be seen on the walls of the iconic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

In 1453, in a devastating blow to the Byzantines, Sultan Osman Mehmed II conquered Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople) and Sofia Hagia – an Orthodox Christian cathedral – was turned into a mosque for Friday prayers.

Four minarets were added to the exterior, while ornate Christian icons and gold mosaics were covered with panels of Arabic religious calligraphy.

After centuries in the heart of the Ottoman Muslim Empire, it was turned into a museum in 1934 in an effort to make Turkey more secular.

It has since become one of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations, receiving more than 3.7 million visitors last year.

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