Turkey’s top court ruled that Istanbul’s 6th-century Hagia Sophia’s conversion from a mosque to a museum in the 1930’s was “unlawful”, paving the way to a reconversion into a house of worship. It is a victory for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called for the change. The 1,500-year-old World Heritage site was originally a cathedral, before becoming a mosque and then a museum The UN’s cultural body UNESCO said it must be notified of any change in its status.
Turkish top court revokes Hagia Sophia’s museum status, ‘tourists should still be allowed in’
