A change is coming to Hagia Sophia, which has endured since the 6th century, outlasting the Byzantine empire and the Ottoman era. Now, once again, it will be a mosque. But Turkish officials say ...

The World Council of Churches has called on Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reverse his decision to turn the celebrated Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque. In a letter to Mr Erdogan ...

In 2020, the building once again became a working mosque. Once the biggest cathedral in the world, the Hagia Sophia is considered the magnum opus of Byzantine architecture. Visitors say it is a ...

In fact, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque attracts 50,000 visitors ... In Islam, every mosque is a house of God. The iconic mosques of Turkey have vast cultural and religious significance, meaning ...

the Turkish leader promised: “We will preserve Hagia Sophia's status as a cultural heritage the same as our ancestors did.” “I want to stress that Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque from a ...

Istanbul, Turkey - The mosque will retain its Christian icons but these will be curtained off, the religious authority Diyanet says. Turkey's Hagia Sophia will open to visitors outside prayer ...

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the ...

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the ...

Driving the news: Turkish Airlines' chairman said this week that a new route between MSP and Istanbul could begin as early as ...

Sultan Ahmed I was determined to build a mosque that rivaled the nearby Hagia Sophia, and most would agree that he accomplished this task or, at least, came close. Since the early 1600s ...