Footage Shows Police Patrolling Hagia Sophia Ahead of Reopening as Mosque for Friday Prayers

Turkey’s General Directorate of Security released footage on July 24 of police patrolling the grounds of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul ahead of its reopening as a mosque.

According to news reports, thousands of people had gathered outside the building awaiting entry.

Daily Sabah reported that the mosque would open from 10 am and remain open until the morning of July 25, with social distancing measures in place due to the coronavirus.

The historic building was originally a Christian church when it was built in the sixth century during the rule of the Byzantine Empire. It remained as such until Istanbul was captured by the Ottomans in the 15th century when it was then used as a mosque until the 20th century. It was converted into a museum in the 1930s.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tweeted a celebratory video on July 22.

In a statement issued July 10, UNESCO, which includes the structure on its historic World Heritage list, said it “deeply regrets the decision of Turkish authorities” to covert the building back to a mosque. Credit: Turkish General Directorate of Security via Storyful