Hawzah News Agency - (Istanbul - Turkey) - Islamic prayers will be held at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum on Friday in honour of Conquest of Istanbul Day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday.

At the Hagia Sophia on Friday, the Conquest Sura, a section of the Koran, will be recited and prayers will be held as part of a celebration organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Erdoğan said in a statement.

The Hagia Sophia, originally built as a cathedral of the Eastern Roman Empire in 537, was turned into a mosque following the conquest of Istanbul on May 29,1453 and then a museum in 1935.

Over the years, Erdoğan has repeatedly suggested turning the UNESCO World Heritage Site into a mosque again to fulfil a long-standing demand by Turkey’s Islamists, much to Greece’s ire.

“We miss it! But a little more patience. We'll make it together...”, Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun tweeted, along with a photo of the Hagia Sophia.