Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul may become a Mosque, Erdogan said

 Recep Tayyip Erdogan

 Hagia Sophia in Istanbul - a Byzantine cathedral now serving as a museum - could be transformed to Mosque, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. 

He made the comments during a television interview, on the eve of the March 31 local elections.

The former Byzantine cathedral was converted into a Mosque after Ottoman invasion Istanbul - known bz the time as Constantinople - in 1453. Turkey's secular founder has restored the building to a museum in 1935. Now attracts millions of tourists every year. The suggestion that this could return to a Mosque prompted anger in Greece.

Hagia Sophia

"It is not only a great temple of Christianity - the greatest for many centuries, but also belongs to humanity, recognized as part of the global cultural heritage by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)." Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos said.

"Therefore, putting into question this status is not just an insult to Christian feelings, it is an insult to the international community and international law," he said. Erdogan prayed bz himself inside Hagia Sophia last year.