Hagia Sophia: Turkey Observes First Muslim Prayers inside Former Church

• Turkey has held the first Muslim Friday prayers inside a historic former church, Hagia Sophia
• The structure was used by Christians in the 6th century before it got turned into a museum and then back into Mosque in 2020
• A multitude of crowd witnessed the historic moment as the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, joined in the session

Turkey has drawn the ire of the international community as it holds the first Muslim Friday prayers inside Hagia Sophia, a structure that historically used to be a church.

In the 6th century, the ancient building was initially a church before it got turned into a mosque, from there to a museum and finally now into a mosque.

When the conversion was announced in 2020, it generated heated reactions from international leaders who described it as a blatant disregard for the flow of history.

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Turkish president, Recep Erdogan said in 2020:

"Like all our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be wide open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims"

He thanked all those who contributed to the success of the controversial reshaping of the structure to fit a space for Muslim prayers.

He said:

"Like all our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be wide open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims."

Turkey's insistence on its sovereign right

Despite the torrent of criticisms from the international community, Turkey's president, Erdogan, insisted that the country has the right as an independent nation to do as it desires with any structure located within its borders.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expressed 'deep regrets' when the eastern-western country publicised its intent to change the course of history.

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The leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church condemns the act, saying Erdogan had taken the world back to centuries ago, noting that the site is a home for millions of Orthodox followers.

Wars, religion and football: five faces of Erdogan

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been compared to sultans and pharaohs while stamping his outsized personality and domineering style on Turkey over 20 years.

Elected as prime minister and then as an uber-powerful president under a tailor-made constitution, Erdogan has become Turkey's most important and polarising leader in generations.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, a journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng