Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum welcomes Muslim worshippers
Outside Hagia Sophia
By Neyran Elden, BBC Turkish
Crowds gathered in Istanbul as the historic Hagia Sophia site opened for Friday prayers for the first time since Turkish authorities ruled it could be converted into a mosque.
"Muslims are excited, everyone wants to be at the opening," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.
The 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site became a museum in 1934. But a Turkish court annulled its status, saying any use other than as a mosque was "not possible legally". The decision to turn it back into a mosque was criticized by religious and political leaders worldwide. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded quickly to the July ruling, vowing that the world-famous site would be ready for Friday prayers from 24 July, and he was seen joining worshippers at around midday (09:00 GMT). About 1,000 people were allowed in through security checkpoints, while others laid out prayer mats outside
Hagia Sophia was built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and first converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest nine centuries later. While there was considerable excitement as crowds headed to the Unesco site, not everyone was happy. The secular opposition party that runs Istanbul has described the move to turn it back into a mosque after 86 years as political rather than religious.
In neighbouring Greece, which was marking the anniversary of the restoration of democracy in 1974, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis conveyed a message of sorrow to millions of Greek Orthodox Christians. Hagia Sophia's change of status by Turkey was not a show of power, but evidence of weakness, he declared.
Tens of thousands of men and women waited for the call to prayer - many had travelled from cities across Turkey. Worshippers took their places on the grass or on the pavement. The lucky ones found shade under a tree. Security was tight across the historic peninsula of Istanbul, and at one point dozens of worshippers broke through a police checkpoint. A group of men waved Turkish flags and chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).
What was it like inside?
Inside, a turquoise carpet had been laid on the floor to prepare for prayers and Christian relics were covered up with white drapes or obscured by lighting. Among the Christian mosaics expected to be obscured during Muslim prayer was the 9th-Century mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Jesus inside the apse.
"Muslims are excited, everyone wants to be at the opening," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.
The 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site became a museum in 1934. But a Turkish court annulled its status, saying any use other than as a mosque was "not possible legally". The decision to turn it back into a mosque was criticized by religious and political leaders worldwide. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded quickly to the July ruling, vowing that the world-famous site would be ready for Friday prayers from 24 July, and he was seen joining worshippers at around midday (09:00 GMT). About 1,000 people were allowed in through security checkpoints, while others laid out prayer mats outside
Hagia Sophia was built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and first converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest nine centuries later. While there was considerable excitement as crowds headed to the Unesco site, not everyone was happy. The secular opposition party that runs Istanbul has described the move to turn it back into a mosque after 86 years as political rather than religious.
In neighbouring Greece, which was marking the anniversary of the restoration of democracy in 1974, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis conveyed a message of sorrow to millions of Greek Orthodox Christians. Hagia Sophia's change of status by Turkey was not a show of power, but evidence of weakness, he declared.
Tens of thousands of men and women waited for the call to prayer - many had travelled from cities across Turkey. Worshippers took their places on the grass or on the pavement. The lucky ones found shade under a tree. Security was tight across the historic peninsula of Istanbul, and at one point dozens of worshippers broke through a police checkpoint. A group of men waved Turkish flags and chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).
What was it like inside?
Inside, a turquoise carpet had been laid on the floor to prepare for prayers and Christian relics were covered up with white drapes or obscured by lighting. Among the Christian mosaics expected to be obscured during Muslim prayer was the 9th-Century mosaic of the Virgin Mary and Jesus inside the apse.
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