Bringing the months-long campaign for presidential and parliamentary elections to completion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was accompanied by hundreds of ruling AK Party members and supporters of the People's Alliance, performed evening prayers at Istanbul's iconic mosque Hagia Sophia on Saturday.
Muslims turn important and symbolic structures in the lands they conquered into mosques. This tradition, which points to the dominance and existence of Islam, has an important place in preserving the dignity of Islam.
In addition, Muslims pay attention to certain rules and issues while making these transformations, and they make them within the framework of respect.
On July 10, 2020, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque.
The monument was restored to its former glory as the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque on July 24, 2020, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joining hundreds of worshipers for the first Muslim prayer in 86 years inside Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia served as a church for 916 years and 86 years as a museum. However, it was a mosque from 1453 to 1934, nearly 500 years.
In 1985, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is among Türkiye's top tourist destinations.
