Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended prayers at Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia on Friday, completing the famous building’s conversion from a secular space …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended prayers at Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia on Friday, completing the famous building’s conversion from a secular space into a Muslim house of worship. It had been a museum for more than 86 years. The crowd was large, with thousands of people spilling outside the building and into a plaza and grassy areas near the sixth-century building, which is revered by both Muslims and Christians. Erdogan’s decision to convert the landmark — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — from a museum back to a religious building has been controversial. The Hagia Sophia has long been hailed as a symbol of the coexistence of Christianity and Islam, a cultural junction between East and West. Its architecture reflects its unique status, with its famous dome ringed by minarets.
