Factbox: Praying at Hagia Sophia, Erdogan crowns long campaign to revitalise Islam in Turkey

Gli the cat of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is pictured at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey July 2, 2020. Picture taken July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan attended the first prayers at Turkey's Hagia Sophia on Friday since declaring the ancient monument a mosque, crowning his long campaign to place Islam at the heart of public life in the once fiercely secular republic. [nL5N2EV23T]

In 17 years in power, Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party have changed the face of modern Turkey, lifting a ban on wearing Muslim headscarves in public, championing religious education and building thousands of mosques across the country.