ISTANBUL: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today performed Friday prayers at the Hagia Sophia Mosque, here.
His Majesty who is on a state visit to the country, arrived at the mosque at 12.25pm (local time), accompanied by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
Their Majesties were greeted by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs Head, Prof Dr Ali Erbas.
Al-Sultan Abdullah was also accompanied by Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay.
His Majesty then proceeded to the main prayer room to perform the solat sunat (non-obligatory prayer).
The Hagia Sophia Mosque Imam Bunyamin Topcuoglu delivered a Friday sermon titled 'Youth Heralded With Protection In The Shade Of The Throne'.
The Hagia Sophia whose name means pure and noble wisdom is a monument of civilisation in the country and was used as a church for 916 years and during the conquest of Istanbul, it was converted into a mosque from 1453 to 1934 then turned into a museum in 1935.
The iconic architecture, which is over 1,500 years old, was listed as a heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1985.
On July 10, 2020, the Turkish Court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree to convert it into a museum, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was praised as being brave for insisting that the Hagia Sophia be revived as a mosque.
On May 6, Al-Sultan Abdullah described the opening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque as a historic moment for Muslims in Turkey and around the world and congratulated Erdogan for its opening as a mosque for the first time in 88 years during a private telephone conversation with the president.--BERNAMA
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