NEWS
Thousands gather around Hagia Sophia to attend first Friday prayer
14:05 July 24, 2020 AA
Thousands of people gathered around Hagia Sophia on Friday (July 24) to attend the first Friday Prayer ahead of historic building's reopening for worship for the first time in 86 years. The iconic monument served as a church for 916 years until the conquest of Istanbul, and a mosque from 1453 to 1934 – nearly 500 years – and most recently as a museum for 86 years.