“The first namaz (collective prayer) in Hagia Sophia after 52 years,” as written by the newspaper Radikal on June 28, as Hagia Sophia Museum in Trabzon opened again for pilgrimage.
Trabzon Hagia Sophia had been converted into mosque after the fall of Trabzon and in 1961 it had been converted into Museum. Fifty-two years later, it became a place of worship under no special ceremonies.
The iconography and mosaics in Hagia Sophia Museum were covered, during the praying, with carpets and curtains’ systems, while not a single nail was pinned nor the slightest damage was made, as stated by the director of Charitable Foundations, Mazhar Gildirimhan, under the competence of who Hagia Sophia belongs.
Hagia Sofia, which dates back to the 13th Century when Trabzon was the capital of the Empire of Trebizond, is a church with a prominent position both among the monuments of Pontus, but also among the Byzantine monuments in general. It owes its importance to its connection with numerous historical and archaeological aspects.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
