Court ruling paves way for Istanbul's Hagia Sophia to revert to mosque

Status of Unesco-listed 1,500-year-old building has been hotly debated for decades

A Turkish court ruling has paved the way for Istanbul's crowning architectural jewel, the Hagia Sophia museum, to be turned back into a mosque - a politically charged decision that has drawn international criticism but delighted the president Recep Tayyip Erdoan's conservative base.

Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled unanimously on Friday to annul a 1934 presidential decree that stripped the Hagia Sophia of its religious status and turned it into a museum. The government can now take steps to convert the 1,500-year-old building back into a Muslim house of worship.