The founder of Turkey and the secular republic's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, ordered the Hagia Sophia to be turned ... "What we do in our country and with our property is up to us ...

Defending the decision, President Erdogan stressed that the country had exercised ... abroad don't - is attacking Turkey's sovereignty. Reclaiming Hagia Sophia plays well with his base - religious ...

“I think of Hagia Sophia ... then became a museum in 1935. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who critics say is chipping away at the Muslim-majority country's secular pillars, announced ...

A woman poses for a selfie in front of Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya-i Kebir Camii, which the Turkish president declared to be open to Muslim worship after a court ruling, in Istanbul, Turkey ...

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.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture is undertaking a cleaning program of the underground spaces of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, aiming to make them accessible to the public. The project includes the ...

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 ...

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 ...

TASS/. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has not yet been notified by Turkey of the required guarantees that Hagia Sophia will be preserved after being ...

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 ...

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 ...