Gli, the famous cat living in Hagia Sophia won’t leave her home

Gli, the beautiful European shorthair cat – who has been living in Hagia Sophia for around 14 years along with her sister Kizim— will not migrate from Turkey’s Hagia Sophia after it opens for prayers, TRT World reported.

On Friday, the Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Hagia Sophia, one of the architectural wonders of the world and the famous tourist destination, would be reopened for prayers.

Hagia Sophia was one of the most visited monuments in Turkey. It was a cathedral that was turned to a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul.

Erdogan signed the decree turning Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia to a mosque again after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Byzantine monument’s status as a museum.

The change of Hagia Sophia’s status from a museum to mosque did not get in the way the live of its permanent resident – Gli, the cat.

Gli is also an Instagram star, who has its own Instagram page with over 20,000 followers. She was born in Hagia Sophia in 2004 and has been living there since then.

“Gli will remain inside the Hagia Sophia as its perfect guest,” TRT World reported.

Hagia Sophia will remain open for local and foreign tourists as well. “Opening Hagia Sophia to prayer, as Turkish leaders have expressed interest in doing, will not hinder people visiting it,” Turkey’s presidential spokesperson was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency.