ISTANBUL’S AYASOFYA GRAND MOSQUE MARKS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan marked the anniversary with a message shared on X on Thursday.

“Five years ago today, we broke its chains and reunited Ayasofya with the call to prayer. God willing, it will remain free forever,” Erdogan said.

His post also included the official Presidential Decree, published in the Official Gazette, which transferred Ayasofya to the Presidency of Religious Affairs and reopened it for worship.

House of worship and tourist destination

In the past, Ayasofya served as a church for 916 years until the conquest of Istanbul, and a mosque from 1453 to 1934 – nearly 500 years – and most recently as a museum for 86 years.

Erdogan and other Turkish leaders had long advocated it returning to a working mosque, open for prayers.

On July 19, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree that turned Ayasofya into a museum, paving the way for its use as a mosque.

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On July 24, 2020, Friday prayers in the Ayasofya Grand Mosque marked the first Muslim acts of worship there in 86 years.

Besides being a mosque, the Hagia Sophia is also among Türkiye’s top tourism destinations and remains open for domestic and foreign visitors.​​​​​​​

In 1985, Ayasofya was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.