GO TO PHOTO GALLERYISTANBUL — Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday opened Büyük Mecidiye, commonly known as Ortaköy Mosque, an Istanbul landmark that was closed for three years for restoration. Erdoğan, accompanied by ministers and local administrators, attended the first prayer session in the reopened mosque situated on the European side of the city. Following Friday prayers, the prime minister addressed the crowd attending the opening ceremony. As the crowd shouted "Ayasofya" in reference to the Hagia Sophia mosque currently used as a museum, Erdoğan said, "There is the Sultanahmet [Blue] Mosque next to the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) but it remains empty during regular daily prayers. We should fill this mosque not only during congregational prayers but also at other times. You should accomplish this first." Performing religious prayers at the Hagia Sophia, which was converted into a museum in 1935, is prohibited, although numerous groups have recently called for it to be reopened as a mosque.Erdoğan stated that his government was grateful to the Ottoman ancestors and proud of them for building "lasting" monuments. Praising the Armenian architects who built the mosque, Erdoğan said the Ottomans had entrusted the job to "experts." "Ortaköy Mosque has a distinct place among other mosques and we are grateful to everyone involved in its restoration," he added. The mosquetarget="_blank"'>