Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia after 86 years

Zohreh Saffari / The 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, a church, mosque and museum at different times, hosted hundreds of Turkish Muslim men, women and children at noon yesterday, after 86 years, standing in separated ranks to offer Friday prayers. In order for this building to revisit the memories of the Ottoman period. According to Al-Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who earlier this month, in a controversial decree backed by his country's executive court, officially declared the Hagia Sophia a mosque and a place of worship. He added that in recent weeks he had full oversight of the building's preparation for the historic Friday noon ceremony. Yesterday, his ministers were seen with him, who was wearing a mask to comply with health protocols. The Friday prayers in Istanbul began yesterday after Recep Tayyip Erdogan recited Surah Al-Fatihah and parts of Surah Al-Baqarah. While, according to Turkey's highest religious official, the mosque has the capacity to accommodate 700 to 1,000 worshipers to observe the social distance, the surrounding squares were also prepared for prayers. According to media reports, the courtyard of the mosque, chosen by Erdogan, was covered with turquoise carpets and a curtain was drawn over Christian symbols at noon yesterday. Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, confirmed the closure of all roads leading to the Hagia Sophia since Thursday evening and the deployment of 736 medical staff, 101 ambulances and rescue helicopters at the scene, in a message asking worshipers to bring masks and rugs. Help with patience and high understanding in holding the ceremony as well as possible. It is said that visiting this historical monument, which had more than 3,700 visitors in 2019, will be possible and free for all from now on, except during the Muslim worship hours. The great religious center of Turkey has chosen three imams and five muezzins as the new custodian of the Hagia Sophia mosque. The President of Turkey had been whispering about this change since last year, who considered the change of use of this building to a museum a big mistake. Even now, although his decree has been strongly criticized by the United States, the European Union, Russia, UNESCO, Greece, and a number of Christian leaders around the world, he has called on all opponents of the change his country's historic and sovereign right. But despite all the foreign opposition, the Turkish people are satisfied with this event and believe that it is something that should have been done. According to a Reuters report, a voice was heard from every corner of Hagia Sophia and the surrounding area yesterday. Even now, although his decree has been strongly criticized by the United States, the European Union, Russia, UNESCO, Greece, and a number of Christian leaders around the world, he has called on all opponents of the change his country's historic and sovereign right. But despite all the foreign opposition, the Turkish people are satisfied with this event and believe that it is something that should have been done. According to a Reuters report, a voice was heard from every corner of Hagia Sophia and its environs yesterday that Even now, although his decree has been strongly criticized by the United States, the European Union, Russia, UNESCO, Greece, and a number of Christian leaders around the world, he has called on all opponents of the change his country's historic and sovereign right. But despite all the foreign opposition, the Turkish people are satisfied with this event and believe that it is something that should have been done. According to a Reuters report, a voice was heard from every corner of Hagia Sophia and the surrounding area yesterday.

"Allah Akbar" Guyanans were waiting for prayers in the shade of the trees. "Today we have achieved our 86-year-old aspiration," said Sit Kulak, a worshiper who came to Hagia Sophia to pray. "We thank Erdogan and the court for making such a decision." "This action and the prayer we offer here makes us proud," said Latif Ozar, a 42-year-old nurse. During his 17-year rule, Erdogan has embraced the observance of Islamic norms in his country, which in its recent history has tended toward secularism. Prior to his rule, Turkey followed the path set by Ataturk, including the ban on hijab and religious teachings. Even now, Erdogan's move to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque has increased his popularity among the Turkish people. In recent years, however, his popularity has plummeted due to some of his foreign and especially domestic policies.