Amidst a large public presence crowded with squares and nearby roads, the first Friday prayer in more than 8.5 decades was held at the Hagia Sophia, which the Turkish judiciary recently canceled the decision to convert into a museum issued in 1934.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the congregation, arrived after the crowded mosque accompanied the head of the communication department in the Turkish presidency, Fakhruddin Alton, while Turkish Chief of Religious Affairs Ali Arbash received him.
Turkish citizens have arrived since the dawn of Friday, in large numbers, towards the square of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, to participate in the first Friday prayer.
Prior to the prayer, the Presidency of Religious Affairs began a program to recite the Noble Qur’an and supplications in the mosque, where the most famous Turkish readers read a surah from the wise dhikr, starting with Surah Al-Kahf.
On July 10, the Turkish Supreme Administrative Court overturned the cabinet decision of November 24, 1934, to transfer the Hagia Sophia from a mosque to a museum.
Two days later, Turkish religious affairs chief Ali Arbash announced - during his visit to the Hagia Sophia - that the five daily prayers would be held regularly at the mosque, starting on July 24.
Hagia Sophia is a unique artistic and architectural edifice, located in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, and has been used as a mosque for 481 years, then turned into a museum in 1934, which is one of the most important architectural landmarks in the history of the Middle East, has been included on the list of the World Heritage of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization And Sciences (UNESCO), which is one of the most important tourist destinations in Istanbul.