ISLAMABAD : Thousands of worshippers gathered at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for Friday prayers, after the controversial move by the Turkish government to re-convert the museum into a functioning mosque.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was taking part in the first prayers to be held in the building in 86 years. Huge crowds of worshippers were seen gathering outside the building in Istanbul, many of whom had camped out overnight.
Earlier this month, Erdogan formally declared that the iconic Hagia Sophia would be used as a mosque, after a Turkish court annulled a decision made in the 1930s that had converted it into a museum. As a museum, the Hagia Sophia was seen as a symbol of the secular nature of modern Turkey. Erdogan has long been accused of seeking to reshape Turkey along Islamic lines.
