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.

Many travelers to Istanbul, Turkey, may find themselves at one of the most beautiful sacred places in the world: the Hagia Sophia. The ancient temple attracts scores of visitors from the West.

Tourists flock en masse to the Hagia Sophia for its stunning architecture ... Second, you will want to avoid prayer times, which happen five times daily. You will especially want to avoid noon ...

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TASS/. Turkish law enforcement officers are beefing up security as Hagia Sophia, the status of which has been changed from a museum to a mosque, prepares for Friday prayer, TASS reports from the ...

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument's historic domes from the threat ...

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 ...

Photo taken on April 14, 2025 shows domes of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Türkiye. Türkiye on Monday started the first-ever comprehensive restoration work on the main dome of Hagia Sophia ...

Türkiye has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument's historic domes from the threat of earthquakes.