Turkey's president Erdogan has signed a decree to formally turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque
The usual crowd of tourists was absent as the announcement came, but the predominantly Turkish media gathered outside Hagia Sophia.
She said:"With the images of Madonna, mother of Christ, and other saints on the walls - do they accept to pray in the presence of these images? "It is not acceptable to go back in time. I'm really sorry we have come to 2020 and we are trying to go back to the 19th century. Last year the monument attracted more than 3.7 million visitors but tourism and Turkey's struggling economy have been badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
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