Before converting from a museum to a mosque in 2020, the entrance fee to Hagia Sophia was 100 Turkish lira (approximately $2). Until the recent change, like all other mosques in Turkey ...

The Hagia Sophia is a super famous building in Istanbul. Officially, at least according to the Turkish government, it is a museum. But it was originally built as a church and then was converted ...

Turkey's Hagia Sophia will open to visitors outside prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious officials said on Tuesday, after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque.

Most people need a passport, a visa, and a long-haul flight to hop between continents. But in Istanbul, all you need is a ...

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 ...

Turkish authorities have sealed off a luxury spa run by a five-star Istanbul hotel that was set up by illegally modifying a 1,500-year-old cistern, officials said recently. The Navitas Spa Sarnic is ...

Observant Muslims worldwide will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts.

Istanbul is a city that reveals itself on its own terms for travelers who invest the time and energy to unpeel its many ...

As Ramadan begins, Türkiye upholds its traditions of hospitality, cleanliness and charity, preparing mosques and public ...

Built by the Romans 1,500 years ago, the Hagia Sophia was the biggest church in the world. No expense was spared: it contained coloured marble from around the Roman Empire and nearly 10,000 square ...