Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City's first Muslim mayor - and uses Koran

He chose to hold the ceremony at the abandoned Old City Hall subway station, a remnant of NYC's "gilded age" which has been shut since 1945.

The location was intended to honour the workers who keep the city running.

"This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime," he said. "I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term.

"After just having taken my oath to become the mayor of the city of New York, I do so also here in the old City Hall subway station - a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health, the legacy of our city."

Ahead of his swearing-in, he called the venue a "physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples' lives".

New York law mandates that incoming mayors assume office on January 1.

The self-described democratic socialist used three Korans throughout the day's swearing-in.

As well as his grandfather's and grandmother's, Mr Mamdani also placed his hand on a 200-year-old copy that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, a black writer and historian, which was lent to the Mayor by the New York public library.

Anthony W Marx, the library's president and CEO, said the choice of Quran and its association with Schomburg "symbolises a greater story of inclusion, representation, and civic-mindedness".

On the campaign trail, Mr Mamdani had repeatedly invoked his religion as he looked to persuade New York's one million Muslim voters.

He railed against "islamophobia" and claimed his aunt was a 9/11 victim because she feared wearing a hijab on the subway.

Now-former mayor Eric Adams had warned in October: "We can't let our city become Europe" in a chilling message.

He also said that Islam sought to "burn churches" following a spate of Isis massacres in Africa.

But Mr Mamdani accused him of lying.

The 34-year-old had secured the Democratic nomination despite his limited name recognition, running on a populist platform centred on making the city affordable.

His campaign pledges included universal childcare, free public buses, and a freeze on rents for a million flats - netting him more than 1.1 million voters.

He defeated Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic state governor who stood as an independent, by 10 points.

Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa finished well behind both.

However, Mr Mamdani demonstrated a willingness to compromise during a friendly White House meeting with Donald Trump in November.

On his quest for City Hall, he had branded the president a "dictator" and a "fascist" - but in person, the two leaders agreed to cooperate on making New York more affordable.