Editorial photo #5877544 Religion and Belief

First Prayers Held At Reconverted Hagia Sophia Mosque After Status Change

People wait for the first official Friday prayers to start outside Hagia Sophia Mosque on July 24, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the first Friday prayer inside the Hagia Sophia Mosque after it was officially reconverted into a mosque from a museum. The controversial decision to change the iconic buildings status came after Turkey's highest administrative court voted on July, 10 to revoke the structures status as a museum allowing it to be converted back to a mosque. Throughout it's history the UNESCO World Heritage site has served as a Byzantine Cathedral, a mosque under Ottoman rule, and most recently a museum. Thousands of worshippers from all over Turkey flocked to the site for the chance to pray inside the historic building for the first Friday prayers. (Photo by Amer AlMohipany/NurPhoto)