‘Power, politics’ behind move to convert Turkey’s Hagia Sophia into mosque: Leading Muslim cleric

ROME: The Turkish government’s decision to convert Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque was based on “power and politics,” a leading Italian Muslim cleric has claimed.

Imam of Milan Yahya Pallavicini said the 1,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site should have been left as it was originally built, as a church.

The world-famous site became a museum in 1934 but a Turkish court annulled its status and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced it would be ready for Friday prayers from July 24.