Erdogan announces first prayers to be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces that the first prayers to be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24 while addressing the nation on Friday.

He said that the Hagia Sophia will be open to Muslims, Christians, and all foreigners. He also said that the entrance fee for the Hagia Sophia will be lifted and it will be open for foreign and local tourists.

The Hagia Sophia— one of the most visited monuments in Turkey, was a cathedral that was turned to a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul.

The ancient Hagia Sophia is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of an area designated as “Historic Areas of Istanbul.”

The monument has been a disputed symbol between Christianity and Islam for centuries.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk converted Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934— a sign of his commitment to a secular future for the country – separating state from religion.

Erdogan had earlier proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site — a focal point of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires.

Erdogan’s decision to issue his decree comes after a landmark decision by Turkey’s high court that the Hagia Sophia’s conversion into a museum was unlawful.

The changing status of the huge 6th Century building has now met with deep concern from the United States, Greece, and church leaders.

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