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.
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ramadam went came again again went .He is not seen like you .Pls do not bring religion in all things
hello bhai super pls send u r no. all the best
Rana krishna 10 Cross heghe nagar
hi zaid bro welcome to bollywood industry
May almighty Allah guide all Muslim ummah to the straight path. Ameen.
Holy month of Ramadan, film releasing, so sad!
Br. Zaid, may Allah guide you to be a good and religious muslim. Whatever your physical apperance is, from Allah, it's not of your's. It is like a floating buble on the surface of stream of water. It won't appear for a long, so like we, the human beings. After that, you think of your physical appreance. In this holy month of Ramadan each & every Muslim maximum trying to obey Allah & get pleased by Him. Don't think that the life what we are enjoying is the real life, but our real life really means from the moment of our death. So, fear Allah and refrain from your present decission and put all your efforts to be a good practical muslim and there by teach your dad & whole family about \deen e islam. May Allah bless you forever to make use of your tallents to study, practise & preach the correct deen in its origial shape. By your Brother in Islam. Yaa ayyu alladeena aamanu koo amfusikum va ahleekum naara, this ayath of quran reminds every muslim to safe guard them selves and fellow muslims from the hell fire."
Not necessary all Khans should be a super hit. Look at those Khans like ZAHID Khan, Imran Khan, Ayyub Khan, Kamal Khan and so on and so forth. They are not been seen now.
Good news in Ramadan. The Khan rule is all set to begin in Kannada film industry (sandalwood) like Bollywood. Congratulations to Zaid Khan the future super star of south India. Good that you r starting your film career in Ramadan. that too in last 10 days of Ramadan. wah kya kamal ki batth. masha allah. swarga guarantee...
all khans are ganapathi khans.. severel years back mr zameer ahmed had given ganapati idol to mr kumarswamy as his birth day gift.. that mean this khan also is a devoti of ganapati like bolly wood khan sharuk and salman keep it up
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