Hundreds gathered in Istanbul on Wednesday to bid farewell to renowned Turkish art and culture historian Semavi Eyice, who died the day before.

Family members, several high-profile government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and other citizens attended the funeral prayer at the Fatih Mosque.

Eyice, who was awarded the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Prix in 2011, died Tuesday at age 95 at the Maltepe University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital after suffering an organ failure.

He specialized in the study of Byzantine and Ottoman art in Istanbul and is widely regarded as the pioneer of Byzantine studies in Turkey. Throughout his career Eyice published some 15 books and more than 500 papers and articles.