Icons in Hagia Sophia will be draped during prayer

Icons of Hagia Sophia (right) closed with special drapery. Photo: romfea.gr

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet wrote that during Islamic worship, the walls inside Hagia Sophia will be covered with special means and lighting, reports the Greek edition Romfea.

According to the Hurriyet newspaper, special blinds will be installed in the temple to cover the icons during Islamic prayers, while the floor will be covered with carpets, which will have special lighting to darken the space and hide the icons.

It also means, according to Romfea, that visitors to Hagia Sophia will have to take off their shoes at the entrance to the temple.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) spoke out about the murals preserved on the walls of Hagia Sophia: “When this temple was first converted into a mosque, most of the mosaic images were simply knocked down with hammers, and only a small part was preserved under the stucco. What will happen to these murals – will they be knocked down with hammers, or smeared with plaster, or will they be somehow hidden from the eyes of those Muslims who will pray in this place?”

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