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Friday prayers are being held at the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul for the first time since it was turned into a museum 85 years ago.

Only about 1,000 people are being allowed inside at any one time because of the coronavirus.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among the worshippers.

A large screen and speakers have been set up outside to broadcast proceedings to the large crowds gathered outside.

It was at President Erdogan's instigation that a Turkish court overruled a decision taken in the 1930s to make it a secular building.

Supporters of the president are celebrating the move as a moment of huge national and religious pride. However, his critics fear he is trying to replace the secular legacy of modern Turkey's founder, Kemal Ataturk.

Hagia Sophia, which was built 1,500 years ago, was a Orthodox Christian cathedral until the Ottoman conquest in the 15th Century. Protests have been planned in the Greek capital, Athens, later on Friday against its reconversion into a mosque.

As the crowds grew, authorities stopped people entering the area. On Twitter, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya urged worshippers to be patient and said the mosque would stay open for prayers until Saturday morning.

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