{"id":18137,"date":"2026-07-24T13:18:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/erdogan-marks-sixth-anniversary-of-hagia-sophias-return-as-mosque-greek-city-times\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T13:18:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:18:03","slug":"erdogan-marks-sixth-anniversary-of-hagia-sophias-return-as-mosque-greek-city-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/erdogan-marks-sixth-anniversary-of-hagia-sophias-return-as-mosque-greek-city-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Erdo\u011fan Marks Sixth Anniversary of Hagia Sophia’s Return as Mosque \u2013 Greek City Times"},"content":{"rendered":"


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President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan marked the sixth anniversary of Hagia Sophia\u2019s reopening as a mosque with a post on X, calling it a blessed return to its original identity after 86 years.<\/h3>\n
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The 6th-century Byzantine cathedral, built by Emperor Justinian in Constantinople, stood as the greatest church in Christendom for nearly a millennium before the Ottoman conquest in 1453. Sultan Mehmed II converted it into a mosque, plastering over its Christian mosaics in line with Islamic prohibitions on figurative imagery. In 1935, the new Turkish Republic transformed the site into a museum, uncovering and restoring the ancient mosaics for public view. <\/p>\n

Six years ago today, on July 10, 2020, a Turkish court ruling allowed the building to revert to mosque status, with the first prayers held shortly after. During Muslim worship, the Christian icons and mosaics are covered by curtains or fabric screens, though they remain visible to visitors at other times.<\/p>\n