Erdogan opens landmark mosque in Istanbul’s Taksim Square

The opening coincided with the anniversary of massive anti-government protests in 2013 at nearby Gezi Park.

Istanbul, Turkey – Thousands of worshippers turned out in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Friday to mark the inauguration by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of an imposing, and controversial, new mosque. The opening fulfilled a long-held ambition by various governments since the 1950s to build a Muslim place of worship in the square, often thought of as a symbol of Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s secularism. The inauguration also coincided with the anniversary of massive anti-government protests, which began in the nearby Gezi Park on May 28, 2013, due to government construction plans.