Factbox: Fifteen centuries, two faiths and a contested fate for Hagia Sophia

FILE PHOTO: Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that was a Byzantine cathedral before being converted into a mosque which is currently a museum, is seen in Istanbul, Turkey, June 28, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Friday annulled a 1934 government decree that had turned Istanbul's Hagia Sophia into a museum, opening the way for the sixth-century building to be converted back into a mosque.

President Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling AK Party sprung from political Islam, has said the cavernous domed building should revert to being a place of Muslim worship.