Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has paid a visit to Hagia Sophia just days before the first Muslim prayers are due to be held at the Istanbul landmark since it was reconverted to a mosque last week.
During his visit, Erdogan inspected reconversion work inside the building.
The minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Istanbul Government, Ali Yerlikaya, the Head of Administration Communication Department, Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Head of Religious Department accompanied the President during his visit.
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Reminder: The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed an order to change the status of Hagia Sophia Cathedral located in Istanbul into a mosque on July 10. Earlier, the high administrative body has canceled the decision dated 1934 on awarding the Cathedral a status of the museum.
Hagia Sophia Cathedral was built in Byzantine in the VI century; in the XV century, the Islamic Empire turned it into a mosque. The object maintained the status of the museum and is enlisted in the UNESCO register since 1985.
Ayasofya... pic.twitter.com/SqXRX3N5WG
— Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan (@RTErdogan) July 19, 2020
