Turkey's Failing Economy Could Doom Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman Vision

The Hagia Sophia, an historic Byzantine wonder located in the center of Istanbul, may soon be converted into a mosque.  Though it is now a museum, it was built as a cathedral before Ottoman transformed it into a mosque when they took over Constantinople, now Istanbul, in 1453. Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan commemorated the anniversary of the Ottoman victory in May by having an imam enter the Hagia Sophia and recite the Qur’an: a nod to Erdogan’s broader political project.