In pics: Turkish Hagia Sophia opens for 1st Muslim prayer in 86 years

CAIRO- 24 July 2020:  Despite international condemnation and anger, Turkish Hagia Sophia Museum, a UNESCO world heritage site, opened on Friday for thousands of Muslim worshipers to perform the first prayer in 86 years.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the prayer and recited Holy Quraan before the start of the Friday prayer, reported Turkish Ahval news.

The museum, which was built as a cathedral in Byzantine era, was converted into a mosque by Erdoğan’s decree on July 10, 2020 after a Turkish court ruled that the cathedral is not a museum anymore.

The decision was criticized by international and Turkish people. In a statement on July 10, 2020, the UNESCO voiced its deep regret regarding the Turkish decision, which was made without prior discussion. The international organization called for preserving the world heritage.

 

The cathedral was built upon an order by Byzantine emperor Justinian I. in the 6th century CE (532–537).  In 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror had changed the Hagia Sophia Cathedral into a mosque, but in 1935 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk turned the mosque into a museum.

However, Erdogan stands defiant against the international criticism, saying that converting the cathedral into a mosque is a matter of sovereignty. He added that the archeological site was due to open for the prayers starting on July 24, 2020 for 1,000 to 1,500 worshipers, Anadolu news agency reported last week.

 

Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church of Greece announced July 24 is a mourning day for Christians in protest of performing Muslim prayer in Hagia Sophia cathedral, Keep Talking Greece reported. Also, Churches in Cyprus rang out a funereal tone for five minutes, Cyprus Mail reported on Friday.

Last week, Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam said that converting the Turkish Hagia Sophia Cathedral into a mosque is impermissible in Islam.

 

“We [as Muslims] are commanded to preserve churches [...] Prophet Muhammad (peace and Blessings be upon him) was always recommending in wars not to destroy temples or kill monks,” he said in an interview with Nadhrah [Vision ] talk show on Sada al-Balad T.V.

The photos by Reuters