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 a divided world, sacred spaces like Al Aqsa and Babri Masjid, which have raised nationalistic fervour, should have endured ...

Hagia Sophia was a cathedral for nearly 1,000 years before being converted into a mosque in 1453 and a museum in 1935. Diyanet said in a statement on Tuesday that the Christian icons in Hagia ...

Istanbul is known for its incredible Ottoman-era (and beyond) architecture and that extends to its mosques and other places of worship. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque tend to be the first to ...

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 ...

Using a new fee and rules for tourists, Turkey is trying to preserve and improve the experience of worshippers at Hagia Sophia. Tourists can’t visit Hagia Sophia for free anymore. Since Monday ...

Trump’s Sentence ‘Doesn’t Matter,’ but the Conviction Does Nothing in Trump’s Sentencing Matters The Anti-Iran Coalition Takes Shape I rubbed my eyes in disbelief seeing a wall plaque at ...

“I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened,” Pope Francis said towards the end of his midday sermon in Saint Peter's Square ... era monument back into a mosque, a decision that has ...

Visiting the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are essential on any Istanbul itinerary—but visiting a mosque for the first time as a non-Muslim can seem a little daunting. You don’t want to commit ...

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 ...

Hagia Sophia, being turned into a mosque in 1453. Yet there is a weighty symbolism in the proposed conversion of St John that ...