Istanbul: Mosques in Turkey reopened on Friday for mass prayers after more than two months as the government further eased strict restrictions to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Turkey has been shifting since May to a "new normal" by easing lockdown measures and opening shopping malls, barbershops and hair salons.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said many other sites -- restaurants and cafes as well as libraries, parks and beaches -- will reopen from Monday.
Hundreds of worshippers wearing protective masks performed mass prayers outside Istanbul's historic Blue Mosque for the first time since mosques were shut down in March.
In the Ottoman-era Fatih mosque, worshippers prayed both inside and outside, with the municipality handing out disinfectants and disposable carpets.
"I have waited a lot for this, I have prayed a lot. I can say it's like a new birth, thanks to God, he has brought us back here," he said.
Another worshipper, Asum Tekif, 50, said: "It has a been a long time... we missed the mosques."
Turkey, a country of 83 million, has so far recorded 4,489 coronavirus-related deaths and 162,120 confirmed cases.
Prayers in Hagia Sophia
Muslim clerics on Friday recited prayers in the Hagia Sophia, the world famous Istanbul landmark which is now a museum after serving as a church and a mosque.
The prayers were held to celebrate the anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople, today's Istanbul, by the Ottomans in 1453.
"It is very important to commemorate the 567th anniversary of the conquest ... through prayers in the Hagia Sophia," said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who attended the ceremony via videoconference.
The stunning edifice was first built as a church in the sixth century under the Byzantine Empire as the centrepiece of its capital Constantinople.
After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque before being turned into a museum during the rule of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, in the 1930s.
But there have been hints about reconverting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Last year, Erdogan himself mooted the possibility of turning Hagia Sofia museum into a mosque.
Such calls have sparked anger among Christians and raised tensions with neighbouring Greece.
In 2015, a Muslim cleric recited the Koran in the Hagia Sophia for the first time in 85 years to mark the opening of an exhibition.
After Friday prayers at the Blue Mosque, a small group of Muslim worshippers shouted: "Let the chains break and let the Hagia Sophia open".
The group was later dispersed by the police who stopped them from protesting near Hagia Sophia that sits immediately opposite the Blue Mosque.
The victim has been identified as R Rudresh (42), a resident of Milkman Street in Shivajinagar. He was a BJP and RSS worker.
Comments
He died of a powder, which was scheduled to end his rowdy there anything special that he did,
Finally RSS got the sponsors for their trousers.
Chaddi to Pants journey
Whoo!!! chaddis have become Panties now!!!
He is a victim...it could be a dirty political game. BJP-RSS finds a good guy in their own association & plots a plan against muslims by killing them. This is well known. But Allah is the best planner. None in the universe surpass him. Allahu Akbar
Dear Chinnan , we condemn innocent's killings ....but these (RSS) are traitors who plot to kill INDIAN Citizens.....and hoisting Pakistani flag in Sindhagi
Muslims never betrayed INDIA .....these are you who traited our country
Quran Says 5:32 Whoever kills a person (unjustly)it is as though he has killed all Mankind. And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved all Mankind.
Dont judge islam by seeing people rather Islam is totally opposite to what you see.
@ Naresh kotian. Your barking statement neither bring any solution to calm the situation nor influence the people of any faith, unless they are sick minded. I have been reading your sick comments every time, and I'm sorry to say that you are a uncivilized
Some of the morons like Kotians in this forum are suffering from inferior complex
They are jealous about Muslims. And I still wonder why Indian Muslims are associated with the neighbour country when there is no connection .
Why can't u associate us with countries like Saudi Arabia UAE etc
This reflects their cheap mentality and intolerance, which is taught in their chaddi Shaka's
And why surgical within...,if Allah wills a tsunami like natural disaster can wipe out entire humanity without differntiating Hindus mulsim Christians
So stop this hatred towards other communities
And look at the deceased. In which angle he looks like a RSS worker...bcos he looks like a goon.This murder could be for Girl, real estate or drug
Why drag muslims to it , Think why he is killed , muslims do not celebrate death of any person.. If deceased is having criminal back ground , it is a lesson to other criminals , same may face same end...
bros.... why roam with hate minds... spread happiness , accept reality...
Naina, Vijaya,
Please do not come to your own conclusion....let the law take its course of action.....don't count the chicken before hatch....
Its very bad!
RIP ....there is no safety for Hindus in rashtra drohi community controlled congress ..they hacked Prashanth ,charan kuttappa and Raju ....now rudresh....jai Sri ram ....jihadis will certainly have to face repercussions ...they were upset with surgical strikes on their co brothers in pak ...now its high time surgical strikes needed within ....jai sangh parivar ....
@laila; Stop dragging, muslims into ur dirty hindusht politics
Vote bank politics at its best. An RSS worker killed nothing happens! When a Muslim or a Christian is killed (not a good thing either) it is award wapasi time. Sick Congress and Leftists!
No one deserves to be killed in a civilised society.
These type of murders and lynchings etc always happen, just before any elections. These are happening right from Nehru's period. He murdered Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Rafiq Ahmed Kidwai etc. few more BJP and RSS workers will be murdered by Congress
RSS ? what does it stand for? Rahul-Sonia Slave ?
If a RSS worker is killed it is not a considerable offence because they are fundamentalists. If the same thing happened to others it means atrocities, anti secular, anti national, terrorist activity. When we will get up and live in the environment of reality.
@shiva, If people start killing people of one particular community for insulting girls then almost 90% of them will vanish.
I hate RSS and their Bhakts but killing any person in such a way should be condemned...... If people started killing Bhakts for insulting girls then more than 70% of Bhakts will vanish.
Hack the culprits back in a same way. hindus will not tolerate any oppression either..
If u live by sword, u die by sword
The Cong govt has no answer to give to the people over its failure to protect innocent hindus.
This should not have happened. Very sad. May Almighty Allah give courage and strength to the bereaved family members, relatives and friends to bear this irreparable loss.
Weak policing all over the country are bolstering the criminals to beat, kill, maime each other. Terrible. Strictest action needed.
Hindu murdered,all of u have no problem
But if a muslim/ Christian was murdered,u call it as fascism,terrorism,brutality,...olakkeede moody
What a ****** country
How We Hindus live here
i remember
Kalburgi
Panasare
Dabolkhar...
PARA NARI rudresh is a GOONDA. CPI(M) fools people in the name of secularism. For them secularism is being anti Hindu. They dare dont criticise Islam and its traditions but take pride in talking ill of Hindu traditions and Hinduism.
Lives of Hindus are in dangers under Siddu govt :(
It's Muslim groups who is doing to bjp
It seems rationalists are having a bad time in the sub-continent for the years. Shame really!
So sorry to hear that..
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