Hagia Sophia is scheduled to open for Muslim prayer on Friday (July 24th), according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who told the Turkish people that it was Turkey's sovereign right to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
In his speech, the Turkish President announced that the entrance ticket to Hagia Sophia will be abolished, while he said that its doors will be open to all local and foreign Muslims and non-Muslims until the end. "Hagia Sophia, which is a heritage of humanity with its new regime, will continue to embrace everyone in a more sincere and special way," he said.
He argued that the insistence that the Hagia Sophia remain a museum has the same logic as asking someone to close the Vatican for prayer and turning it into a museum.
"Today, Hagia Sophia is experiencing one of its resurrections that has been witnessed since the day of its foundation. "The resurrection of Hagia Sophia is a harbinger of the liberation of Mecid al-Aqsa," he said, adding that "the resurrection of Hagia Sophia is a sign of our determination to protect the remains of our martyrs and veterans if necessary."
The Turkish President wished the decision and the presidential arrangement that turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque to be beneficial. "I emphasize that we will open Hagia Sophia as a mosque preserving the common cultural heritage of humanity," he said.