Erdogan orders Sophia to be open 24/7 for worship
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with his wife at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Photo: newsit.gr
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered that from July 24, 2020, when the first Friday prayer was held in Hagia Sophia in 86 years, the cathedral, turned into a mosque, will be constantly open for Muslim worship. Governor of Istanbul province Ali Yerlikaya announced this on Friday on his Twitter page.
“Mr. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered that from today Aya-Sophia be open for worship 24 hours a day. The Aya-Sophia Mosque will be kept open. We express our gratitude to our President,” the governor wrote.
Earlier, Erdoğan said that 350 thousand attended the first Muslim prayer at Hagia Sophia.
Read also
Interview with His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of ROCOR
The Southern Clergy Retreat and the Growth of Orthodoxy in the South
Christian Orthodox Coalition Calls for Action Amid Syrian Crisis
March 19, 2025 – The Christian Orthodox Coalition in the United States has issued a powerful statement condemning the ongoing persecution of Orthodox Christians in war-torn Syria.
EP Hopes US Visit Will Boost Abp. Elpidophoros' Declining Influence
The National Herald reports that Patriarch Bartholomew will travel to America to seek new connections with Washington and support Archbishop Elpidophoros.
Metropolitan Joan of Korca elected as Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church
Albanian Orthodox Church Elevates Met. Joan (Pelushi) to Primate After Archbishop Anastasi’s Repose
The 17th Anniversary of the Repose of Met. Laurus (Shkurla), First Hierarch of the ROCOR
Parishes of the Eastern American Diocese (ROCOR) lifted up their prayers in remembrance of the much-loved Vladyka Laurus on the anniversary of his repose.
"The entire family has been massacred in Baniyas, Syria. They were Orthodox Christians. Humanity has failed!"
Social media is telling the stories Corporate Media will not, and people are taking notice.