Hagia Sophia Mosque, also known as Ayasofya Mosque, is a monument of great historical and cultural significance located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was originally built as an Eastern Orthodox Christian cathedral during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in the early 6th century AD. For over nine centuries, it served as the principal church of the Orthodox Christian faith before being converted into a mosque by Sultan Mehmed II after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
In 1935, the Turkish government declared Hagia Sophia a museum, which remained until July 2020 when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the monument would be re-consecrated as a mosque. The decision was met with controversy and criticism from many countries and religious groups as the building is widely recognized as a symbol of world heritage and religious tolerance.
Despite the conversion, the interior of the mosque still retains much of its original Christian artwork, including stunning mosaics depicting biblical scenes and images of Christ and the Virgin Mary, which Erdogan has promised will be covered during Islamic prayer times. The mosque now serves as both a religious site for Muslim worshippers and a popular tourist attraction for visitors to Istanbul.
