Backdropped by Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine-era cathedral that was turned into a mosque and now serves as a museum, demonstrators protest against the mosque attacks in New Zealand, in Istanbul, Saturday, March 16, 2019. Thousands of demonstrators have protested the New Zealand mosque shootings outside Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia - a Byzantine-era cathedral that was turned into a mosque and now serves as a museum. The demonstrators - mostly members of Islamic-leaning civil society groups - called for the symbolic edifice to be reconverted into a mosque. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)ANKARA, Turkey — The Greek government voiced opposition Monday to the suggestion from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia — a Byzantine-era cathedral that now serves as a museum — could be reconverted into a mosque. Erdogan himself recited prayers inside the Hagia Sophia last year.

Source: Washington Post March 25, 2019 13:32 UTC