Turkey’s Hagia Sophia holds first Friday prayers since conversion back to mosque

Last week, Erdogan ordered the conversion of the historic monument after a court docket annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum.

The choice, involving one of many metropolis’s most vital landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage website, has been criticized by worldwide spiritual and political leaders, with UN cultural company UNESCO amongst these voicing concern.

However, the transfer has not prompted broad opposition inside Turkey.

The Turkish authorities has tried to reassure skeptics that the constructing’s Christian artworks and frescoes is not going to be touched, with know-how as a substitute getting used to conceal them throughout Friday prayers.

Erdogan has positioned himself as a good friend of conservative Islamists in Turkey, shifting the nation farther from these secularist roots.

UNESCO mentioned earlier this month that it “deeply regrets” Turkey’s choice and that the selection was made with out the group receiving prior notification.

Turkish officers have emphasised that when it’s not getting used as a mosque, the Hagia Sophia — which is fashionable with vacationers visiting Istanbul — can be open to all to go to freed from cost, in accordance to state-run information company Anadolu.

Erdogan used a televised speech on July 10 to urge folks to respect the choice to convert the constructing back to a mosque.

“Like all our mosques, its doors will be open to everyone — Muslim or non-Muslim. As the world’s common heritage, Hagia Sophia with its new status will keep on embracing everyone in a more sincere way,” he mentioned.

“We will be treating every opinion voiced on the international stage with respect. But the way Hagia Sophia will be used falls under Turkey’s sovereign rights. We deem every move that goes beyond voicing an opinion a violation of our sovereignty.”