First Muslim Prayers To Be Performed In Hagia Sophia On July 24 - Erdogan

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2020) The first Muslim prayers in Istanbul's Hagia Sopia are expected to be performed on July 24, and admission to the mosque will be free for everyone, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, soon after signing a decree to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

"Upon the completion of preparatory works, which are now being conducted quite quickly, we plan to open Hagia Sophia for prayers on July 24, the same day when the Friday prayer will be performed," Erdogan said in his address to the nation.

Entrance to the mosque will be free, the Turkish leader assured.

"As Hagia Sophia has lost its status of a museum, paid admission is canceled. Just like all the other mosques, Hagia Sophia will be open for everyone: locals, foreigners, Muslims and representatives of other faiths," Erdogan added.

Shortly after his announcement, the first call to prayer since the Turkish government converted the mosque into a museum in 1934 came from Hagia Sophia. The video was shared on YouTube.

Hagia Sophia was built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral by Byzantine emperor Justinian and opened its doors to believers in 537, remaining the world's largest Christian temple for over a thousand years until Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Empire and renamed Istanbul in the 15th century. Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque in 1453.