Erdogan's First Visit To The Hagia Sophia Since Becoming A Mosque

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to the Hagia Sophia since its status was re-established as a mosque. During this sudden visit, Erdogan noted a number of changes related to the change in Hagia Sophia's status.

One of the changes noted was regarding the preparation of the religious authorities in Turkey, Diyanet Christian religious icons during prayer times. Diyanet stated that the closing of Christian religious symbols will only be carried out during prayer services and will re-appear outside of prayer times.

"Our aim is not to destroy the frescoes, icons and historic architecture of the building," Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quoted as saying by CNA.

Erdogan also guaranteed that the Hagia Sophia will remain open to all visitors, be it local residents, foreign tourists regardless of their religious status. Despite visiting, Erdogan has not confirmed whether he will be among the five hundred worshipers for the first Friday prayer on July 24.

Ayasofya ... pic.twitter.com/SqXRX3N5WG

- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 19, 2020

Erdogan himself had initiated the change in the status of the Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque last year. Erdogan argues that making the Hagia Sophia a museum is a big mistake.

Turkey's High Court agreed to Erdogan's move to revoke the status of the Hagia Sophia museum and turn it into a mosque. However, the change in status has provoked the outrage of many, including major Catholic leaders and leaders of the Orthodox Christian Church worldwide.

Historically, the Hagia Sophia was an important place of worship for Orthodox Christians for centuries, until Istanbul - which later became known as Constantinople - fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Since then, the Hagia Sophia has been built into a mosque.

Then, after the presence of the Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the status of the Hagia Sophia was changed to a museum in 1934. The status lasted until the day Erdogan announced the decision to return the Hagia Sophia to a mosque.