Turkey: Chora Museum converted back into mosque following Hagia Sofia

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The Chorea museum of Istanbul, a former Byzantine church, was reconverted into a mosque, a month after Hagia Sophia also returned to its original status as a religious site for Muslim worship, as seen on Friday.

The Turkish government announced that the Chorea, also known as the "Sistine Chapel of Byzantium," is now under the administration of the Diyanet, Turkey's authority for Islamic religious affairs.

The transformation is already official, but people could still be seen visiting the former museum to see the historic frescoes and mosaics showing biblical scenes.

"It's going to be a mosque? I think that it should remain as heritage. Is it going to be a mosque? There are many mosques. There is no need. It should remain as a legacy," said a guest outside the newly-converted mosque.

"Chorea, the church, was built between 1316 and 1321. In the Otoman Empire it was converted into a mosque. After the World War II it was converted into a museum and nowadays they want to convert the structure, again, into a mosque," explained Serdar Donmez, a tour guide.

The move by president Recep Erdogan has sparked criticism from church leaders and some Western countries, including Greece, whose Foreign Ministry called the decision "another provocation against religious persons everywhere."

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