The “Great Mosque” – as Hagia Sophia is now called by Turkey – will be open 24 hours a day. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave that order a day after the first Muslim prayer that took place inside the historic monument.
“As of today, the president ordered us to open Hagia Sophia 24 hours a day for prayer. The Hagia Sophia ‘Mosque’ will be open all the time, that is 24 hours a day. We express our gratitude to our president,” posted the governor of Constantinople, Ali Yerlikaya, on Twitter.
At the same time, ongoing works will be carried out which aim to completely convert the monument into an Islamic mosque.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın @RTErdogan #AyasofyaKebirCamiiSerifi’nin bu günden itibaren 24 saat ibadete açık olması talimatını verdi. #AyasofyaCamii artık 24 saat daima açık olacak.
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımıza şükranlarımızı sunuyoruz. pic.twitter.com/GCnttjLJ41
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) July 24, 2020