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.
Comments
drama show of police and sanghis
Check how nicely police behaving with these terrorists.
Well scripted drama by police, admin. & RSS+Congress
why policemen are smiling instead of canning the protesters?
Ramanath Rai should be arrested not bhat, who has saved Kalladka and entire dakshina kannada from anti-national community.
Bhattanige bhattre support....
he should be deported
Drama show of Police, Sanghi and also Kalladka Bhatta and Ramanath Rai. it was a well planned propaganda in view of coming election, look at the body language between police and Sanghis, how friendly.... but same behaviour not seen when Commissioner office Chalo Protest done by Muslims....
waste of energy poor cops
islamic millitants trying their level best to put RSS leaders into jail . But they dont know they will have long standing repercussions in coastal as chutiya congress parties days are numbered .we hindus must see this ISIS muslims act and unite and brutally crush their vote bank politics .slipper must be thrown towards those who follow pseudo secularism and who stand with pakistanis.
India is full of drama, blow their asses, police also are dramabaaz
attack .......lathi charge. arrest and put behind the bars of bellary.
Full DRAMA with no Audience...
Why is police acting , Why cant they use their Laati just like they used for innocent who was demanding justice for quraish.
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