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Hagia Sophia

Turkey: Hagia Sophia’s first Muslim Friday prayers draw thousands

Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia has opened for Muslim Friday prayers for the first time since the museum was changed back to a mosque. High profile guests joined the crowds of worshippers at the ancient site. Thousands of worshippers flocked to Turkey’s…

UNESCO expresses deep regret over Turkey decision to change status of historic Hagia Sophia

As the Turkish President signed a decree on Friday converting the ancient Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque, the UN cultural agency (UNESCO) said that it “deeply regrets the decision” made “without prior discussion”, having earlier in the day called…

Ecumenical Patriarch “saddened and shaken” by Turkish plans to turn Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into mosque

By: Mada Jurado The leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Istanbul), recently expressed his concern over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans to convert the Hagia Sophia basilica into a mosque. The patriarch told the Washington Post: “What…