Erdogan at the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia after 86 years [vid]

Only a few high ranking officials and special guests attend along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the islamic ceremony in Hagia Sophia, as the bulk of faithful and pilgrims are gathered outside the re-converted monument of UNESCO to a mosque.

It will be the first communal Muslim prayers held in the Istanbul landmark in 86 years.

Erdogan

The Hagia Sophia, originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in 537, was turned into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul on May 29, 1453, and then became a museum in 1935 under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s presidency.

On July 10, Erdoğan announced the opening of the Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship after the Council of State – Turkey’s highest administrative court – ruled that the building’s conversion to a museum was illegal.

The move was met with dismay in Greece, the United States, and from Christian church leaders.

Ali Erbaş, head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), announced the appointment of the three imams on Thursday who will lead prayers at the reconverted mosque: Mehmet Boynukalın, professor of Islamic law at Istanbul’s Marmara University, and Ferruh Muştuer and Bünyamin Topçuoğlu, imams of two other Istanbul mosques.

Erbaş said that about 1,000 people would be able to attend prayers at the site at any one time.

On Thursday, Erdoğan and a large entourage paid a visit to inspect the final preparations at the site, including the unveiling of a sign at the entrance that reads “The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque”.

A turquoise carpet was laid on the floor to prepare for prayers and Christian imagery has been covered up with white sheets or obscured by lighting.

Authorities have designated areas outside of the Hagia Sophia segregated for men and women to join Friday’s inaugural prayers.

Several roads leading to the site are being blocked and the authorities have said as many as 17,000 security personnel would be on duty.

You could follow the live streaming of Ahvalnews for Erdogan’s presence at the ceremony HERE.

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