islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. and standing by in front of the high as a fear itself is on the. tell us about the importance of this building and what's at stake today with the court's decision. well just standing here right in front of the iosif ia looking at it it really is an architectural mosque a piece with an incredibly interesting history a cultural landmark for both christians and muslims and it attracted a nearly 4000000 visit is last year and these are probably reasons why there is always so much attention especially from abroad whenever there is a debate here in turkey about this building's future and there have been many such debates in the past now today turkey's top administrators chord reviewed another challenge to the i.s.

because it's been a cathedral a mosque and a museum now istanbul's famous high as the fia is at the center of the political battle that put up implications for 2 of the world's largest sets. first welcome to the program international tensions are growing over hong kong china says it will respond with quote corresponding measures if britain goes ahead and grants residency rights to 3000000 eligible hong kong as the u.k. offered the safe haven as on home police arrested hundreds of pro-democracy democracy protesters rallying against a sweeping new security law. hong kong activists say their freedoms are being eroded however beijing says the law is necessary for the city to prosper and that many countries welcomed this. on behalf of $53.00 countries cuba welcome to the law of the people's republic of china on safeguarding national security in hong kong at the session of the united nations human rights council they believe that the law will have to sustain and steady implementation of one country 2 systems. a principle within which a high degree of autonomy was supposed to be guaranteed in hon

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its all for ducks christian history unesco has worn turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. or earlier we spoke to our correspondent in istanbul yulia han and we asked her about the international reaction to everyone's plan to change the status of why a selfie. well remains to be seen what the actual verdict all for the court decision out of the court will be because they say it will be published within the next 15 days but this would be a hugely controversial move we know that he also talks church is very unhappy with these plans there was criticism from greece from russia we heard the ecumenical patriarch bartholomew who is the head of some 300000000 orthodox christians and who is based here in istanbul he warned it would disappoint christians willed widened quote fracture east and west u.s. secr

fia has been for most of friday prayers for the 1st time in more than. it follows a controversial decree from to president. john the former museum back into a mosque. and the closure of the u.s. consulate in the southwestern city of chengdu the move comes after the u.s. told the chinese. summit in houston texas. you're watching live from berlin up thanks to 1000 special program with my colleague ben physical and don't forget you can get all the latest news and information from the gulf on our web site that's dot com and you can of course follow us on truth and instagram as well. top new views i've finished and i'll be back in 45 minutes. combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and. our corona update. 19 special next on d w actually.

fia is a muslim house of worship once again. just moments after. gives its international critics called the move.

so just islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest of fear will remain an icon of istanbul. motor racing now and the formula one season is finally getting under way this weekend in austria with teams having started preparations today the season was meant to begin in mots at the current virus amazing teams all getting used to the new hygiene rules and the novelty all racing at the same track for 2 straight weeks . the picturesque karma of spielberg and austria will be punctuated by the roar of engines this weekend when formula one makes a belated start to the season but the usual roar of the fans will be missing with the coronavirus pandemic meaning spectators are not allowed. team members will have to wear masks of social distancing not always possible. it's only difference being everybody worki

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest of fear will remain an icon of istanbul. to sports now and of it abram have a challenge on their hands to avoid a bonus league or relegation they were held to a nil nil home draw by 2nd division haydn haim in the 1st leg of their playoff time is a town of only 50000 people in the club has never been in the bonus they get but they had the better chances in the rain against them who saw nicholas moyes under send off a send off late in the game post the 2nd leg on monday. in indonesia a rare job on rhino has been spotted on surveillance video luxury ating in a muddy bath footage footage of the animal gleefully rolling around in the tropical waters of the jungle on national park has gone viral on social media there are only $72.00 of the endangered spec

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. a highly symbolic building dorie and one of the reactions today. all of our actions have been swift internationally the greek culture minister lena men don't need to scribe as a provocation against the civilized world while the russian orthodox church express regret and warn that it could lead to greater divisions this also comes at a time when washington and moscow this week to warn against such moves but this will really many ways 15 with heard one say gender of consolidating its nationalist base pointing out again that turkey is surrounded by enemies and this will be i think one see as a further move in strengthening his base by taking positions to convert the i saw fear into a mosque so what will happen next i feel when can

fia back into a mosque. well prison speaking after the friday prayers said that this had been an ambition of his since his youth to convert the i saw fear back to a mosque. one is a very religious and pious man but there's a lot of politics behind this move has been in power for nearly 20 years but why now he's taken such a dramatic move it is because his ruling a k party is suffering very low poll ratings the lowest since the party has been in office and been hit very hard by the economic woes of the country because the covert 19. epidemic now throughout the ceremony we use all very powerful in images aimed at rallying not of the religious but the nationalist base burdwan recited the koran before the friday prayers commence and then the prayers and cells carried out by the head of turkey's religious authority who carried the assault which is a symbolism of the conquering of istanbul by 14 men made and this is a very important symbol for turkish nationalists who see him as the man that made turkey a great co

fia card whenever he thinks it suits him. and what do the people of istanbul think about this issue. well it's a very emotional and heated steve bate it's not in you want as you mention religious hotline as have long complained for turning this building back into a monster so everybody here of course has an opinion we talked to some people here around the ideas of fia today let's listen to what they told us. going by the assault on mets conquered this place it's a heritage from him so be it a mosque again. it's our only wish that this place is open for islamic prayers and we want it to be a police of worship for muslims. it belongs to the turkish people it's not a church it should be a museum i think there's a fear belongs to all humankind people of all religion should be able to come and pray or visit here and. you get what kind of international reactions can we expect if turkey really goes ahead and changes. faces well remains to be seen what the actual verdict of the court decision of the court will be because they say it

they have to stay safe and they have to stay on the right side of the fia.ick look at some other stories making the news now. the scottish premiership season will kick off on the 1st of august after receiving written approval from the scottish government. clubs can arrange friendly matches as long as players are tested for covid—19 weekly from monday. wimbledon will distribute £10 million of prize money to the 620 players who would have taken part in this year's championships. it was cancelled for the first time since 1945 because of the coronavirus pandemic. and leicester tigers have confirmed that england international manu tuilagi is one of five players to have left the club after failing to agree terms on an amended contract. tuilagi is expected to move to a club in france. staying with rugby union and some premiership clubs will be playing once every four days to get the season finished. premiership rugby says protecting "the integrity of the competition" is why clubs will play seven games in four weeks when the league restarts. here's our rugby union c

fia back into a mosque. well prison speaking after the friday prayers said that this had been an ambition of his since his youth to convert the software back to a mosque. one is a very religious and pious man but there's a lot of politics behind this move one has been in power for nearly 20 years but why now he's taken such a dramatic move it is because his ruling a k party is suffering very low poll ratings the lowest since the party has been in office and been hit very hard by the economic woes of the country because the covert 19 epidemic now for out the ceremony we use for very powerful in images aimed at rallying not of the religious but the nationalist base heard one recited the koran before the friday prayers commenced and then the prayers and cells carried out by the head of turkey's religious authority who carried a sword which is a symbolism all the conquering of istanbul by 14 men made and this is a very important symbol for turkish nationalists who see him as the man that made turkey a great coun

fia is a muslim house of worship once again turkey's president formally. just moments after turkish coffee gives its go international critics call the move a provocation. also coming up remembering the victims of the genocides 25 years later. taking away even little boys from the age of 8 even 19 year olds. from survivors of the massacre will never forget the pain no the brutality 8000 muslims were killed just those. and thousands of tens of millions of viewers now the biggest t.v. network in the philippines is silenced lawmakers. franchise which regularly clashed with president bush. come to the program turkey's president has announced that. one of the architectural one does. the world will be reopened for muslim worship his declaration comes off the turkey's high as that minister to court revoked the main monument status as a museum clearing the way for the 6th century byzantine building to be turned back into a mosque dozens of people have gathered outside the high as a fear to celebrate the decision united states russia raise and unesco all expressed c

in fia and chrysler had a combined turnover of around $170000000000.00 euros last year together they employ more than 400000 people and sell nearly $9000000.00 cars annually. the merger would make p.s.a. and fia and chrysler the 4th largest car manufacturer worldwide but the commission has voiced concerns recently and now wants to re-evaluate the planned merger after all the merger could severely reduce market competition especially for delivery vehicles and the coronavirus crisis isn't helping the situation either p.s.a. sold around 45 percent fewer cars in the 1st half of the year and their future partner fi at chrysler is also coping with a slump in sales both companies are no hoping that the e.u. commission won't put the brakes on the deal. let's talk more about this now with the w.'s financial correspondent in frankfurt chelsea delaney good morning to you chelsea how are investors responding to the news from p.s.a. today. the takeaway seems to be that this wasn't as bad as as a lot had been fearing they are still profitable and that's really in comparison to a lot of other autom

returns to its intrinsic value 0 i think we may be that once again an inflection point stacy where the fia money experiment is paper tears it's paper tears from here on out of course kaiser report has told you this for the past 10 years we have warned you about this you know j.p. morgan himself one time at one point when he was alive back oh about 100 years ago he said gold is money all else is credit well deutsche bank's head of credit. so he should know agrees with them deutsche bank top credit strategist make stunning admission i am a gold bug for money is a passing fad in the history of money so he said gold is definitely a free up money hedge he's buying gold and that money will be a passing fad in the long term history of money well yeah this it always has been a passing fad and there's always a return to gold the thing is that when you have money printers in charge the act of printing all that paper money to anger and dies themselves really fills their head with dreams of it's fear supremacy that's the ultimate form of supremacy is i print therefore i am and if you can pull the leve

recitation from the koran this is the 1st time muslim friday prayers have been held in the hog use of fia for 86 years just 2 weeks ago turkey's highest administrative court canceled the building status as a museum then ordered it to be used as a mosque despite covert 1000 thousands of believers began gathering outside the istanbul landmark last night just for us it's a symbol of islam or rather the hockey is a few years symbolizes the victory of islam over christianity. thanks to our revered president trichet type won and more importantly i think god we can finally pray here again. critics say the transformation of it takes the country one step further away from a secular turkey and they say heir to one is using this to score points with conservative voters and distract from domestic political problems harsh criticism also came from many church figures among them pope francis and turkey's orthodox christian neighbor greece eunice expressed concerns about whether the world cultural heritage status of the will be endangered. but i guess you have to understand the symbolism of. it is for ma

fia has hosted muslim friday prayers for the 1st time in more than 80 years he assemble landmark was built 1500 years ago as a christian cathedral before becoming a mosque and then a museum 2 weeks ago president ed a one inch issued a controversial decree returning it to use as a mosque after a court an old it's a newseum a status. prayers led by a president on a friday that will become unforgettable in turkey thousands of muslims gathered in worship for the 1st time in 86 years. oh i see iconic buildings journey through time from orthodox christian cathedral to muslim mosque to museum for many here and historic wrong has been righted. but only young and old i'm not done. we have been waiting for higher sophia to open as a mosque for decades for decades we said that the chains will break and hyacinth here will reopen the young men that was why this is remained a museum this kind of atmosphere would not have been possible it doesn't mean much for the people abroad and i think the important thing is what the people of turkey want were happy. but everyone critics in turkey see the conve

schick and safe it's the way to go for young cubans the likes of fia who are celebrating their king thing i knew or 15th birthday during the penn demick. i designed my 15th birthday dress and the mask was very important to me it's a symbol of an important stage in my life which was the pandemic i had to design my face mask to fit the colors of my outfit and it was not just about the combination of colors it was also for security reasons. across latin america turning 15 is seen as a special milestone in a girl's life it's the moment of transition from girlhood into womanhood latinas often mark and yet us with large celebrations including with glamorous photo shoots and d.c. year face masks have become an integral part of their party outfit. for young women this contrast between the mask and address the combination is striking it's a fashion that i think will stay. they take selfies and it's something that's part of the whole show the whole experience of the photo shoot of their. cuban maid wearing masks compulsory early on and credits them with helping the island to contain the spread of t

our top story this hour president presents i've ever won as formally reconvert of the iconic i as a fia into a mosque to sponsor international objections to this court earlier today. 93043 that howard stern is stumbled into a business. that's it from me and the news team for now pledging to. combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and news. hour corona update. from the covert 19 special next on d w. how does a virus spread. why the repairing and when will all this. produce through the techniques from commerce and weekly radio show is called spectrum if you would like and the information on the crawl on my wrist or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast so you can get it wherever you get your podcast you can also find us at the dot com forum slash science. as viruses multiply the change ready and the same is happening to the corona virus . on viruses mutate and that is to be expected. scientists have been tracking those mutations while following coronaviruses journey around the world. some of

nearly 4000000 people visited the fia last year. and john has courted hopes that he can continue to show this monument to his many tourists as possible because for him regardless of its status it remains the most beautiful landmark you stumble. now quickly before we go we want to tell you that a german chocolate maker has won the right to trademark a shape the country's top court has decided that british boss famous famous square shaped chocolate 10 be legally protect it the company registered it in the 1990 s. but a competing browed took or to court saying of the trademark protection for its simple shape is going too far the court did not agree a case perhaps of a company biting off more than it can chew so say. next arc over 1000 special with my colleague ben physical and i'm sorry kelly thanks for watching. combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and. our corona updates. from the covert 19 special next on d w. this is going to interest the entire streams of ju

in the turkish capital istanbul the celebration also took place in the fia for the 1st time in decades that after the turkish government recently reconverted the former historical cathedral and museum back into a mosque. and in afghanistan a 3 day truce has been called between the government and the taliban just before the truce went into effect a car bomb killed at least 17 people the taliban denies any responsibility the truce is only the 3rd to take place in the last 1000 years and will last until the end of the muslim holiday. and we end on some good news for marine life in greece divers there have removed 500 kilos of fishing nets that were in tangled in the wreck of a woold were 2 submarine in a 5 day cleanup operation greek and dutch volunteers descended to 52 meters between the islands of careful lonia and 2nd thoughts to work on the h. and s. pursues while the british submarine sank off catalonia in 1901 after hitting a mine the operations organizers say millions of animals die after becoming ensnared in nylon nets each year the nets will be recycled and used to produce socks

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. story and what does happen now to the highest the thea. well that's a big question on everyone's minds now the government do have the power to go for with that we have case now it's unclear what the timetable will be president one is due to speak tonight where he expected to unveil his plans for the future of the i saw fear there are major obstacles ahead for the government it is unesco world heritage site unesco earlier today warned that they wanted any notification before the change to that building 5 will be something that will be calculated and also another key factor for them is what will happen to the magnificent mosaics of of the christ of the virgin mary by santai and kings which adorn the inside of the ice off here acc

and that nationalists of course now celebrate the highest the fia decision as a victory. because because because we're a very small community they don't hear us. in a country with more than 80000000 people it's not easy to make a few 1000 voices heard which. sissy chicks be a ticket that alicia nearly $4000000.00 people visited the i.v.s. afia last year. and young is quite a shallow hopes that he can continue to show this monument to his many tourists as possible because for him regardless of its status it remains the most beautiful landmark he stumbled. well don't forget you can always get the job you news on the go just download our app from google play or from the app store that will give you access to all the latest news from around the world as well as push notifications for any breaking news and if you are part of a news story you can also use the g w app to send his photos and videos of happening. that's your news update at this hour i'm claire richardson and ellena for me in that scene here thanks for watching . i'm secure in the fire more tired than in the end th

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle the highest of fear will remain an icon of istanbul. and i call a highly symbolic building a dory and what are their reactions to today's decision. well internationally it has been swift condemnation toki greece has slammed the move saying this is a provocation to the civilized world while the russian orthodox church regretted it regretted the move and said this could lead to greater divisions and this comes after both washington and moscow only days before this decision called on not to convert the us of it to a mass so the international pressure is building up on earth one but in many ways this will suit gender very well he likes to portray himself as one who standing up to the world and the turkey surrounded by enemies is plays very well with turkey's nationalist voting base av

so just groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its all for ducks christian history unesco has won turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest afia will remain an icon of istanbul. are some sports news for your better braman have a challenge on their hands to avoid only a 2nd ever bonus league or relegation they were held to a nil nil home draw by 2nd division hiten high in the 1st leg of their play all heightened high and is a town of about 50000 people in case you didn't know and the club had never been in the bundesliga but they had the better chances against braman who also had make less noise on their sent off 'd late own. host and 2nd lead on monday. you're watching t w news live from berlin up next monica jones with the w. business stick around she will be right back. literature invites us to see people. in particular. i like to see myself as the. strong growth growth. my objective i

fallen religions have been replaced the city itself has changed names but the dome of the high yes the fia has withstood it's all built in the 6th century as a byzantine church it was for centuries the world's largest christian cathedral. almost a millennium later it was converted into an islamic mosque during the autumn an empire but in the 1930 s. it was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic ataturk a symbol of the new secular state inclusive of all religions since then it has been a meeting point of many faiths but held by none a place where pope's and presidents have come to pay their respects and marvel at the architecture. the religion is a tool for president richard type of on he has overseen prayers in the museum and raised its status at local election rallies. i also feel he says over the juvenile sort of as you know they converted the higher sophia from a mosque to a museum a while ago. now we hope to be able to call that a mosque again after the election well or not. so yes islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fear angering neighb

event was about what's going to happen to the question i can's and was a exist inside the ideas of fia islam forbids the death picture and all of animals and people and so only images of a mary jesus and christian sayings actually have to be made invisible during prayer times or ridgeley some people had suggested using laser technology to do that but that had raised concerns about whether that would be a risk to the historic structure and now they have covered these christian symbols with a crouton but in general they're all still huge concerns about whether this change to the secular structure turning it into a religious one is actually a risk to the i.s.o. if you're a world heritage site you'll be a why this move now from president era to want to convert the highest sophia into a mosque. why now what's behind the timing well if you ask the opposition here and the critics if you ask a position here in the morning they'll probably tell you that prison edwin is instrumental law is in for political purposes popularity ratings do not look very good right now turkey has suffered the econom

islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author docs christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. better dorian. talk us through some of the reaction to today's decision. well international reaction has been swift the greek culture ministry described this as a provocation against civilization while the russian orthodox church said that they were deeply disappointed by the move and said it could lead to greater divisions and you have to realize that in days before this decision was made both washington and moscow in rare common ground warned unquote not to convert the ice off it to a most other place very much into earth one's hands his agenda he always likes to play the fact that turkey surrounded by enemies is a way of consolidating his nationally support so this criticism will mean not very much to although it has to be s

i'm phil gayle welcome to the program to the highest the fia has hosted muslim friday prayers for the 1st time in more than 1000 years based on both landmark was built 1500 years ago as a christian cathedral before becoming a mosque and then a museum that 2 weeks ago president urged one issued a controversial decree returning it to use as a mascot of the court after a court a no that's museum status. prayers led by a president on a friday that will become unforgettable in turkey thousands of muslims gathered in worship for the 1st time in 86 years. oh the iconic buildings journey through time from orthodox christian cathedral to muslim mosque to museum for many here and historic wrong has been righted. but no one is young and don't know i'm not a town. we have been waiting for higher sophia to open as a mosque for decades for decades we said that the chains will break and highest of here will reopen the young men that must find it remain to museum this kind of atmosphere would not have been possible it doesn't mean much for the people abroad and i think the important thing is what the

among the fia what i would say said a lot of people like to pinpointing that government should be responsive and foyers should be responsive the way i look at it he said he. has to be accountable. we are living in the coming days. malaysia is now preparing to deport thousands of undocumented workers arrested in the rights. but critics say this crackdown ignores some of the root causes driving the spread of the virus poverty and exploitation. the government is banning employers from hiring migrant workers until week end of the year. in a nation that struggles with rights relations it is foreigners who are paying the price in the pandemic. they signed up for a luxury cruise but some would never come ha. ha ha ha all the cold when i went to investigate some new zealand deadly pocono eruption on al-jazeera. we understand the differences and similarities of cultures across the wound. center magellanic or hand out to syria we're bringing you the news and current affairs that matter to. al-jazeera. capturing a moment in time snapshots of other lives other stories providing a glimpse into someone el

hit they have gone from worrying about self realisation and work life balance to truly existential fia's my colleague on explains. and i go into university 1st all to australia chase my dreams for the money i want all of this self-fulfillment and a small carbon footprint i am a millennial. it was so interesting to hear so far through my lived experience because i'm not sure that's true here wasn't really what we wanted to do a book or log down is now granddad obsolete because the current sorry guys that was preponderate make me last year compaq feels so long ago. that's us generation y. well maybe more like generation l. generation lockdown. my name's leaders to the proper resident of washington d.c. i'm used to kind of hand to mouth. check to check life so i've always had. to read 5 jobs i will take the sleep problem with and then make is that it's really just cut outs all of my industries. and their lives and i actually live in the philippines when the band they make it in the philippines all of our where we had been from all my love is a something like. it's all a lap up this. if it d

closely at them on the fia day. and or the nasdaq that ice you know the nearest atoms the mother and then the shooting what i did on this decade get a shot then you. get if. you could government claims russia is a top security priority after its intelligence committee accuses its of ignoring the threat posed by russia meddling in british politics and go reaction from people in london. i can't speak i think so why should be. it's kind of consistent with that but i wish on a washers that the spy.

quarantine on travelers returning from spain with a cluster of new outbreaks in barcelona residents the fia tighter destructions. it's not much of a lockdown barcelona's regional government recommends that people only leave their homes if it's urgent but few people are paying heed. is having a drink an urgent enough reason to go out. alex ahead works at one of partial on as many beach bars he sympathizes with the young people of the city who are tired of staying home after weeks of lockdown. you are losing live your life the friends the community 3 important for every people young people and old people here in your opening specially in barcelona life is very open it's very active and the people who get our house just across the road from the beach is one of barcelona's biggest hospitals dozens of coronavirus patients have been admitted the past few days dr one of flores is worried when she looks at the crowded beach just a few meters away medical authorities have plans in place should the situation worsen. the scenario goes from just not changing their regular day of the hospital and to the

fallen religions have been replaced the city itself has changed names but the dome of the high yes the fia has withstood it all built in the 6th century as a byzantine church it was for centuries the world's largest christian cathedral almost a millennium later it was converted into an islamic mosque during the awesome an empire but in the 1930 s. it was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic ataturk a symbol of the new secular state inclusive of all religions. since then it has been a meeting point of many faiths but held by no on a place where pope's and presidents have come to pay their respects and marvel at the architecture of. the religion is a tool for president richard type of on he has overseen prayers in the museum and raised its status at local election rallies. i also feel. as you know they converted the higher sophia from a mosque to a museum a while ago. now we hope to be able to call that a mosque again after the election. so just islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fear angering neighboring greece which says the building is p

fallen religions have been replaced the city itself has changed names but the dome of the high yes the fia has withstood it all built in the 6th century as a byzantine church it was for centuries the world's largest christian cathedral almost a millennium later it was converted into an islamic mosque during the awesome an empire. but in the 1930 s. it was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic ataturk a symbol of the new secular state inclusive of all religions since then it has been a meeting point of many faiths but held by none a place where pope's and presidents have come to pay their respects and marvel at the architecture. the religion is a tool for president red chip type of on he has overseen prayers in the museum and raised its status at local election rallies. i also feel subs over the individual sort of as you know they converted the higher sophia from a mosque to a museum a while ago. now we hope to be able to call that a mosque again after the election. i just islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fear angering neighboring greece

burn turkish flags in the greek city of to saloniki outraged by turkey's decision to turn high as the fia back into a box. this is it's totally barbaric an uncivilized moved.

the fia in this town bowl has reopened for muslim prayers with its 1st friday worship it comes after a top turkish court provoked its status of the museum it's the 1st time a muslim service has been held in the building in almost 90 years crowds of worshippers gathered in the nearby square for the event turkish president tayyip erdogan was also in attendance here's a quick look now at the history of the unesco world heritage site. where from no on during prayer is the christian frescoes icons littered all across the former cathedral will be covered with curtains out other times though the artworks will be kept on cardboard with the only side open to tourists. some world leaders have criticized turning the sights which as we pointed was originally built as a christian cathedral into a mosque again inside turkey the decision met with a mixed reaction one turkish poster found that almost half of respondents saw it as an attempt to shift focus away from the country's economic woes here's what people in istanbul had to say about the issue. of few years of fundamental right of muslims it's