Hagia Sophia's status to be changed to mosque: Erdogan

By Vakkas Dogantekin

ANKARA (AA) - Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum will be converted back into a mosque, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

"Ayasofya (Haghia Sophia) will no longer be called a museum. Its status will change. We will call it a mosque," Erdogan said during a live televised program.

Slamming criticism of the decision by foreign officials, Erdogan recalled their silence over the attacks on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"Those who remain silent when Masjid Al-Aqsa is attacked, trampled, its windows smashed, cannot tell us what to do about the status of Ayasofya," he said.

Hagia Sophia, dubbed "8th Wonder of the World" by historians, is one of the most visited museums in the world in terms of art and architecture history.

It was used as a church for 916 years. In 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet when the Ottomans conquered Istanbul.

Following restoration work during the Ottoman era and the adding of minarets by architect Mimar Sinan, the Hagia Sophia became one of the most important monuments of world architecture.