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Updated July 2nd, 2020 at 17:23 IST

Turkey debates status of iconic Hagia Sofia

A state attorney on Thursday recommended Turkey's highest administrative court reject a request that Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia be turned back into a mosque, state-run media reported.

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A state attorney on Thursday recommended Turkey's highest administrative court reject a request that Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia be turned back into a mosque, state-run media reported.

It came the day Turkey's Council of State, began considering the request by the Association for the Service to Foundations, Historic Artifacts and the Environment.

The lawyer of the group argued the building was the personal property of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered Istanbul, and pressed for the annulment of a 1934 Council of Ministers' decision which turned the historic structure into a museum, the Anadolu Agency reported.

A state attorney meanwhile, argued that the 1934 decision was legal, Anadolu reported.

He recommended the request be rejected, arguing a decision on restoring the structure's Islamic heritage was up to the government.

A decision is expected within two weeks.

The 6th-century structure was the Byzantine Empire's main cathedral before it was changed into an imperial mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, then turned it into a museum that attracts millions of tourists each year.

Nationalist and religious groups have long been pressing for the structure, which they regard as an Muslim Ottoman legacy, to be converted back into a mosque.

Others believe the UNESCO World Heritage site should remain a museum, as a symbol of Christian and Muslim solidarity.

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Published July 2nd, 2020 at 17:23 IST

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