Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan capped 18 years of uninterrupted Justice and Development Party rule today by fulfilling his long-cherished dream of holding Friday prayers in the Hagia Sophia, the glorious domed edifice built by the Byzantines as a cathedral in the sixth century. Today’s ceremony followed the Hagia Sophia's formal conversion from a museum to a full-service mosque July 10. Thousands of faithful brandishing Turkish flags and chanting "God is Great" streamed from across the country to celebrate the historic reversal of the Hagia Sophia’s status.
Most were unable to enter the Hagia Sophia because of strict social distancing rules within the building to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They observed the events on a giant screen erected in the large square in the heart of old Istanbul, where the newly minted mosque sits.