Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has formally converted Istanbul's Hagia Sophia back into a mosque on July 10. Hagia Sophia, an architectural marvel and a UNESCO heritage site, is now declared open for Muslim worship.
Also read |Hagia Sophia: The museum of conflicts
Turning the monument back into a mosque has been a growing demand from the Islamist sections of Turkish society. But the decision has sparked dismay in the international community as it was considered an emblem of Christian-Muslim co-existence.