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Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia officially opens doors to visitors

The interiors of the place of worship are fully preserved, including frescos and icons

© Denis Solovykh/TASS

ISTANBUL, July 24. /TASS/. Hagia Sophia officially welcomed all visitors today, as people are now allowed to pray in the newly-designated mosque and visit as tourists, TASS reports from the site.

The interiors of the place of worship are fully preserved, including frescos and icons. They are currently hidden from visitors’ eyes with curtains.

There are around 200-300 people in the mosque now, dozens are praying on carpets rolled out inside.

Read also

Hagia Sophia’s icons, frescos to be preserved, says Turkish envoy

Earlier on Friday, Hagia Sophia saw its first salah since 1934 attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as hundreds of people gathered in the square in front of the mosque.

On July 10, the Turkish Council of State invalidated Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s 1934 decree that had bestowed Hagia Sophia with its museum status. Later in the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an order declaring Hagia Sophia open for Muslim worship. Local Orthodox Churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church, voiced their regret over the decision, along with UNESCO.

Hagia Sophia is a Byzantine-era architectural monument. The cathedral was constructed between 532 and 537 AD by a decree from then Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. In 1935, following the decree of the Turkish government signed by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, the building was opened as a museum. White plaster covering Christian mosaics and murals was removed. In 1985, the building was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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