Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday marked the sixth anniversary of the reopening of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque for Muslim worship, describing the occasion as the restoration of the historic monument to its "original status" after decades as a museum.

In a message shared on his official NSosyal social media account, Erdoğan commemorated the anniversary of the July 24, 2020 decision that reopened Hagia Sophia as a mosque following an 86-year period during which it functioned as a museum.

"Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque regained its original status six years ago today, after an 86-year separation," the president wrote.

Erdoğan also expressed hope that the mosque would continue to serve as a place of worship for generations to come.

"This sacred mosque will, inshallah, continue to adorn our skies with the sounds of adhan for all eternity," he said, concluding his message with the words: "May the resurrection of Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque be blessed."

The reopening of Hagia Sophia in 2020 followed a ruling by Türkiye's Council of State annulling the 1934 Cabinet decree that had converted the site from a mosque into a museum. Shortly afterward, President Erdoğan signed a presidential decree transferring the monument to the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and reopening it for Islamic worship.

Originally built as a cathedral in the sixth century during the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It remained a mosque until 1934, when it was transformed into a museum. Since its reopening in 2020, the landmark has remained open both to worshippers and to visitors from around the world.

The anniversary continues to hold significant religious, historical, and cultural importance in Türkiye, where many view the reopening as the restoration of one of Islam's most iconic places of worship and a symbol of the country's historical heritage. (ILKHA)