Turkish President Recep Tayyiy Erdoğan took part in Friday prayers inside Hagia Sophia Mosque along with several hundreds of invitees. Many of the worshippers, meanwhile, joined the prayers at several designated areas outside of the monument.

Many political leaders, scholars and opinion leaders from Turkey and abroad were invited to Hagia Sophia Mosque to attend the opening. HÜDA PAR Chairman İshak Sağlam also joined the prayers at the invitation of Ali Erbaş, head of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs.

Speaking to Ilke News Agency after the Friday prayers, Sağlam stressed that the persecution of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, which lasted for 86 years, had ended and was now free, and wished that Masjid Al-Aqsa would be freed like the Hagia Sophia Mosque.

"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, a big persecution ended after 86 years"

Celebrating all Muslims on the occasion of Friday, Sağlam: "Friday is a festival for all Muslims. We are experiencing a festival today. An 86 year-old chain was broken today. We have again performed the Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia Mosque, shouting takbirs and salawats. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, a big persecution ended after 86 years. I hope that Islamic World will not go through a period when the mosques are enchained and prayers are forbidden. I hope that this will be the last one. However, we know that we have mosques in different parts of the world that have been shackled in captivity."

"We live in such a geography that when we turn to Qiblah, Jerusalem and Masjid Al-Aqsa remain between the Qibleh and us."

Describing the reopening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque for Muslims worship as a victory, Sağlam continued his remarks as follows: "The reopening of Hagia Sophia Mosque has showed us that when a nation resists and fight back against a persecution or really wants something to happen, there is no goal beyond their reach. Therefore, it is an important beginning in this respect. We live in such a geography that when we turn to Qiblah, Jerusalem and Masjid Al-Aqsa remain between the Qibleh and us. Jerusalem and Masjid Al Aqsa have been under captivity for more than 100 years. I hope that we will soon perform the Friday prayers in a free Masjid Al Aqsa with the same enthusiasm."

"Whoever does not know how to thank people does not know how to give thanks to Allah"

Many Muslims have paid heavy price in order to break the chains and open the Hagia Sophia in this country for 86 years. The demands for reopening of Hagia Sophia have been voiced by people from different walk of life. I firstly would like to offer my gratitude to those who have said 'the chains will break' for 86 years. At the same time, I would like to thank Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has broken the chains and reopened Hagia Sophia for Muslims worship after 86 years.

"Hagia Sophia is a symbol of the conquest, now it has been the mosque of the conquest"

Underscoring that Hagia Sophia is a symbol, Sağlam said: "Hagia Sophia is a symbol not only for Muslims but also for all Christians, especially the Orthodox. I think this symbol is interpreted a little different. When Istanbul conquered, it was the stronghold and center of Byzantine Empire. Then it became the symbol indicating the eradication of Byzantine's tyranny. The despotism of Byzantine Empire, which had existed for thousands years, came to an end with the conquest. Hagia Sophia had served as a mosque for 500 years when it converted to a museum in 1934. It did not come to the Republican era as a church. It came to the Republican era as a mosque. It came as Hagia Sophia Mosque. Therefore, some are trying to create a perception that there is a conversion from a church to a mosque. Such a situation is out of the question. There was a mosque more than 500 years ago and 86 years ago, it was shackled, locked and turned into a museum. In fact, in a sense, the Christian world should have opposed the museum. In the end, when it serves as a mosque, people worships and prostrate to God there."

"Muslims have been expecting for years to witness the opening of Hagia Sophia for worship"

Sağlam concluded his remarks as follows:" Muslims have been expecting for years to witness the opening of Hagia Sophia for worship. They never gave up. We had a really exciting, peaceful day today. I mean, I guess none of the people who came here thought that a Friday prayer would be so meaningful. I have been performing Friday prayers since I was a child. However, this is the first time I have performed such a meaningful Friday prayer. We experienced a similar excitement to the one experienced in Friday prayers in Mecca and Medina. We had a peaceful day. We have a third Masjid in captivity. I hope we will soon open it with such excitement and enthusiasm." (ILKHA)