Southwest Asia (excluding the Arabian peninsula, Caucasus, and Syrian region) Building Image Location Country First built Denomination Notes Ayasofya Mosque (Hagia Sophia) Istanbul Turkey 1453 (537) Built in 537 as a Greek Orthodox cathedral, converted to a mosque in 1453, and then a museum in 1931.[78] Great Mosque of Kufa Kufa Iraq 639 Shia The mosque, built in the 7th century, contains the remains of Muslim ibn Aqeel – first cousin of Husayn ibn Ali, his companion Hani ibn Urwa, and the revolutionary Mukhtar al-Thaqafi.