ISTANBUL - US President Barack Obama visited a landmark mosque in Istanbul Tuesday, following strong messages of US reconciliation with the Islamic world on his maiden trip to a Muslim country.
Taking off his shoes as tradition requires, Obama stepped into the 16th-century Sultanahmet Mosque in the ancient heart of Istanbul, accompanied by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Two Muslim preachers guided Obama inside the grandiose edifice -- better known as the Blue Mosque for its blue tileworks -- and the president smiled when they showed him a dome scripture mentioning the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein, Obama's middle name, Anatolia news agency reported.
In a major speech at the Turkish parliament in Ankara Monday, Obama declared that the United States "is not and never will be at war with Islam" and called Turkey a "critical ally," earning himself much praise in a country where his precedessor left the US image in tatters.
"Obama conquers hearts," the popular Vatan newspaper trumpeted on its front page, while the liberal Taraf said the speech marked the end of "the bellicose spirit of September 11."
Following up on his appeal for dialogue and inter-faith understanding, Obama met Tuesday with Muslim, Christian and Jewish spiritual leaders based in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and the meeting point of Europe and Asia.
He combined his visit to the Blue Mosque with a tour of the 6th-century Hagia Sophia church, a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture across the Islamic edifice.
Obama also met with university students before wrapping up his two-day visit to Turkey and his debut trip to Europe later Tuesday.
Since his election, Obama has already won significant popularity in Turkey, a NATO member and a key Muslim ally of the United States, and is keen to improve ties that chilled over the US invasion of neighbouring Iraq in 2003 and former president George W. Bush's policies in the Middle East.
On Monday, Obama hardened his message in support of Turkey's bid to join the European Union, despite French and German opposition.
Turkey and the United States, he said, could set an example to the world by building a "model partnership" based on democratic values, including respect for religious diversity.
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