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 ...

According to legend, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, three Venetian ships fled the city filled with various relics to avoid their capture by the Turks, but the third which ...

Tourists flock en masse to the Hagia Sophia for its stunning architecture, glorious interior views and historical significance. Built between 532 and 537, the building was a church for nearly a ...

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.

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 ...

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

Turkish authorities have sealed off a luxury spa run by a five-star Istanbul hotel that was set up by illegally modifying a 1 ...

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 ...