Turkey's Erdogan signs decree making Hagia Sophia a mosque | DW News

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree declaring Instanbul's world-famous Hagia Sophia will be reopened for Muslim worship. His declaration about his country's most popular tourist destination comes after Turkey's highest administrative court revoked its status as a museum - clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. Dozens of people gathered outside the building to celebrate. Built in the sixth-century as an Orthodox Christian Church, it's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Greece and the Russian Orthodox Church have strongly criticized the change, while the United States and UNESCO have also expressed regret at the alteration of its status.