AMN / ISTANBOL
A large number of worshippers gathered to Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia for the first Muslim Friday prayers since it was once again declared a mosque by a decree from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan announced the move to convert the historic building back into a mosque earlier this month and a court ruling paved the way for this to take place.
Friday prayers began at the newly renamed Grand Hagia Sophia Mosque at around 1.15 p.m. local time (1015 UTC/GMT).
Men, women, the elderly and children were seen waiting at the 11 checkpoints in place. Police searched worshippers, while health workers checked their temperature and masks in line with COVID-19 measures.
To save time, some people performed their ablution in the surrounding mosques. Many were seen carrying Turkish flags and prayers mats.
A shuttle service was launched to carry foreigners and others from a designated parking space in Yenikapi district.
Erdogan arrived ahead of the ceremony along with the head of top religious authority Diyanet, Ali Erbas, and top ministers.
The high-profile guests wore face masks as a preventative measure against COVID-19. In total around 500 dignitaries were invited to attend.
Erdogan recited verses from the Koran before the prayers
The UNESCO World Heritage Site was previously a museum, documenting the landmark’s diverse religious history as both cathedral and mosque. The Byzantine-era building had been shut temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic.