The fact that Türkiye reverted Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque is a significant challenge to global tutelage, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday.

Speaking at a ceremony to announce the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) "The Century of Türkiye" vision in Ankara, Erdoğan said the country challenged global tutelage, as he thanked citizens for supporting the decision to revert Hagia Sophia.

He noted that his party has always aimed to eliminate any remnants of tutelage and enhance democracy in the country over the past 20 years.

It was an iconic moment in Istanbul and Türkiye’s history when Hagia Sophia left behind its status as a museum and was restored to its former glory as Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque on July 24, 2020.

The iconic monument served as a church for 916 years until the conquest of Istanbul. It then served as a mosque from 1453 to 1934 – nearly 500 years – and most recently as a museum for 86 years. One of the most visited historic buildings in Turkey by domestic and international tourists, Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

On July 10, 2020, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque after the 86-year hiatus.