First Prayers Held At Reconverted Hagia Sophia Mosque After Status Change

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 24: Thousands of people pray inside Hagia Sophia Mosque during the afternoon prayer after the official opening on July 24, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the first Friday prayer inside the Hagia Sophia Mosque after it was officially reconverted into a mosque from a museum. The controversial decision to change the iconic building's status came after Turkey's highest administrative court voted on July 10 to revoke the structure's status as a museum allowing it to be converted back to a mosque. Throughout its history the UNESCO World Heritage site has served as a Byzantine Cathedral, a mosque under Ottoman rule, and most recently a museum. Thousands of worshippers from all over Turkey flocked to the site for the chance to pray inside the historic building for the first Friday prayers. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)