Pakistani designer Maria B earlier this week shared the inside video of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Mosque on social media. The video shows people offering prayer in the museum-turned-mosque in Istanbul.
Back in July this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the first juma prayers, after 86 years, at Hagia Sophia since the Istanbul landmark was reconverted to a mosque despite international condemnation.
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On July 10, a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century monument’s status as a museum, that had been declared under Kemal Attaturk in 1934, and Erdogan ordered the building to reopen for Muslim worship, deeply angering the Christian community and further straining relations with NATO ally Greece.
Read more: Maria B ropes in Ertugrul’s Selcan Hatun to showcase winter collection
The tourist attraction still attracts a large number of visitors each day despite being reconverted to a mosque from the museum.
Meanwhile, two days ago, the designer announced that she has hired Ertugrul’s leading actress Didem Balcin, as a model and muse for her brand.
The designer is in Istanbul and spending time with her family and Balcin. Her pictures with Balcin went viral on social media earlier this week.
Balcin played the leading character of Selcan Hatun in the popular Turkish series, Dirilis Ertugrul. She appeared in the first, second, and fifth season of the show.
Maria B meets Ertugrul’s Bamsi Alp
The Pakistani designer even met Nurettin Sonmez, another actor from Dirilis Ertugrul, who played Bamsi Alp. The actor hosted the family of the designer. Meanwhile, she announced that Sonmez is on board with her brand for some exciting projects in the future.
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“Thank you @nurettinsonmez for taking out the time to meet us. You’re one of our favourite actors from Ertugrul series. We are all diehard fans of this wonderful person. Meeting him was an exhilarating experience. He is not just a great actor but also an amazing human being.
Looking forward to working with him on some exciting projects ahead,” wrote the designer on Instagram as she posted a picture with the actor.
Sonmez has struck another brand endorsement deal with Pakistan’s leading fashion retail and fragrances brand, Junaid Jamshed, J.