Turkey: First Islamic prayers held in Hagia Sophia since mosque reconversion

Prayers come after a July 10 ruling revoked the building's status as a museum

Last updated: July 24, 2020 | 15:07

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A man gestures as people wait for the beginning of Friday prayers outside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, for the first time after it was once again declared a mosque after 86 years, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 24, 2020.

Reuters

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Istanbul: Several thousand people including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated on Friday in the first Muslim prayers at Hagia Sophia since the controversial reconversion of the former cathedral into a mosque.

The prayers come after a July 10 ruling revoked the Byzantine-era building's status as a museum, in place since 1934. Erdogan recited a verse from the Quran before the call to prayer was heard from the four minarets of Hagia Sophia.