Click image to zoom

Turkey Orders Reconversion Of Chora Church Museum Into A Mosque

Tourists seen inside the Chora Church Museum in Istanbul, Turkey on August 25, 2020. The city's famous museum will be reconverted to a mosque and opened to Muslim worship following a Presidential decree. The decision to transform the museum into a mosque comes just a month after President Erdogan controversially changed the Hagia Sophia Museum back into a mosque. The Chora Church Museum dates back to the Byzantine era when it was originally built as a monastery, during the Ottoman era it was converted into a mosque before being changed to a museum in 1948. The interior is decorated with some of the oldest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.(Photo by Erhan Demirtas/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#5945108
Date Taken	25 August 2020
Location	N/A
Photographer	Erhan Demirtas/NurPhoto
Category	Arts, Culture and Entertainment
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Erhan Demirtas/NurPhoto

IDSOK mosque Chora Church Museum dates Hagia Sophia Museum city's famous museum Byzantine era Ottoman era oldest Byzantine mosaics frescoes President Erdogan Erhan Demirtas Muslim worship Istanbul Turkey Presidential decree NurPhoto month Tourists monastery decision interior Large Group of People Holy places person