Erdogan officially turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque: It will remain open to everyone

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today officially turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared it open to Muslim believers, just hours after the country's highest court overturned a 1934 decision that turned the sixth-century building into a museum.

Erdogan said that the first collective Muslim prayers in the Hagia Sophia as a mosque will be held on Friday, July 24, but added that the building will remain open to visitors of all faiths.

"We will pray together on Fridays in Hagia Sophia on July 24 and thus open it for Muslim believers," Erdogan said in his speech and added that the former church, one of the main tourist attractions in Istanbul, "will remain open to everyone, Turks and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims".

The State Council - Turkey's highest administrative court, ruled in favor of a group that sought to annul the decision of the Council of Ministers from 1934, which turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, because it doubts the authenticity of the signature of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on that document.

In its 1.400 years of existence, Hagia Sophia has been the main cathedral of the Byzantine Empire, the mosque of the Ottomans, and the museum in modern, republican and secular Turkey for the past 86 years.

The decision to turn it back into a mosque caused disappointment among the Orthodox.

But outside the church, many rejoiced and dozens of people waiting for the court's decision shouted "Allah is great" when the news came.

Just a few hours after the court's decision, Erdogan signed a decree handing Hagia Sophia over to the Turkish Presidency for Religious Affairs.

Erdogan demanded that the building, which is protected by UNESCO, be turned into a mosque again despite widespread international criticism - from the US to Orthodox religious leaders.

That move could deepen tensions with neighboring Greece as well.

UNESCO expressed deep regret over the decision of the Turkish authorities to "change the status of Hagia Sophia", made without prior agreement, recalling that the building is included in UNESCO's world heritage as a museum.

The Greek government today assessed the decision of the Turkish court, which opens the way for the conversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque, as a provocation towards the civilized world.

"The nationalism shown by (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan) takes his country back six centuries," Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Hirstodulides, a Greek Cypriot, wrote on his official Twitter account that Cyprus strongly condemns Turkey's actions around Hagia Sophia and efforts to divert domestic public opinion and calls on Turkey to respect its international obligations.

According to him, Turkey flagrantly violates its international obligations by deciding to change the provision of Hagia Sophia, which is on the list of world heritage and is a universal symbol of the Orthodox faith.

USA disappointed

Washington today expressed "disappointment" over the conversion of the former Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul into a mosque, urging Turkish authorities to allow equal access to the building for all visitors.

"We are disappointed by the Turkish government's decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia," said US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.

"We point to the Turkish government's commitment to guarantee access to the Hagia Sophia for all visitors, and we look forward to seeing its plans for managing the building so that it remains accessible to all without barriers," she added.