Hagia Sophia spent almost 1000 years as a cathedral before being converted into a mosque in 1453 (File)
Istanbul:
Hagia Sophia in Turkey could open to visitors outside of prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious leaders said on Tuesday after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque.
The status of a museum for the 6th century Istanbul monument – in place since 1934 – was revoked on Friday and control was handed over to the religious authority, Diyanet.
The move sparked condemnation from Western governments, Russia and Christian leaders – Pope Francis saying he is “very distressed”.
Hagia Sophia spent almost 1000 years as a cathedral before being transformed into a mosque in 1453 and later into a museum.
Diyanet said in a statement on Tuesday that the Christian icons of Hagia Sophia “were not an obstacle to the validity of the prayers”.
“The icons should be veiled and shaded by appropriate means during prayer times,” he added.
“There is no obstacle from a religious point of view for the Hagia Sophia mosque to be open to visitors outside prayer times.”
Hagia Sophia, a major tourist attraction, has been the site of Islam-related activities in recent years. In 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recited a verse from the Koran in the building.
Erdogan, who said that the first Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia would begin on July 24, insisted that the building would be open to everyone, including non-Muslims.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
