First Muslim prayers are held in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia. Built in the early 6th century, Hagia Sophia witnessed the rise and fall of several empires, reopened as a museum and became a symbol of the blending of East and West cultures and one of Turkey's most popular tourist attractions.
The world's most iconic monument was once again declared a mosque, after Turkey's highest administrative court issued a ruling that paved the way for the government to restore the monument's status as a mosque, as announced earlier by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.