ISTANBUL (AP) Fulfilling a dream of his Islamic-oriented youth, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined hundreds of worshipers Friday for the first Muslim prayers in 86 years inside Hagia Sophia, the Istanbul landmark that served as one of Christendoms most significant cathedrals, a mosque and a museum before its conversion back into a Muslim place of worship.

Thousands of other Muslim faithful came from across Turkey and quickly filled specially designated areas outside of the Byzantine era monument to join in the inaugural prayers. Many others were turned away, while Orthodox Christian church leaders in Greece and the United States announced a day of mourning over Hagia Sophias return as a mosque.

The prayers began with Erdogan reciting from the Quran. The head of Turkeys religious authority, Ali Erbas, led the ceremony and prayed that Muslims would never again be denied the right to worship at the internationally celebrated 6th century structure.