Istanbul's iconic former cathedral opened its doors to Muslim worshippers on July 24 after being controversially re-converted into a Mosque.
Celebration, Protest As Turkey's Hagia Sophia Reopens As Mosque
Istanbul's iconic former cathedral opened its doors to Muslim worshippers on July 24 after being controversially re-converted into a Mosque.
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Erdogan prays during the historic reopening. The Turkish president ordered the reconversion of Hagia Sophia after a court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made the former cathedral a museum.
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Prayers underway on July 24. Hagia Sophia was the Roman Empire's first Christian cathedral and one of the most famous Byzantine structures in the world. It was converted from a Greek Orthodox cathedral to a mosque in 1453, when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, renaming the city Istanbul.
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A historic church in Thessaloniki, Greece with its flags at half mast on July 24 in protest at the Turkish decision to turn Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.
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Curtains seen covering an ancient Christian fresco on July 24. It is not yet clear whether the curtains will be removed when prayers are not underway.