Sultan Mehmet II

John Freely, the well-known author of many history and travel books on Istanbul, Turkey and Greece, passed away on April 20 at age of 90. 

Freely wrote more than 40 books over the course of his long life, including his masterpiece "Strolling Through Istanbul: A Guide to the City," which is seen as the perhaps the best guide to Istanbul ever written.  

Istanbul's historic Grand Bazaar is about to undergo a much-needed renovation that will last a decade and cost tens of millions of dollars. But the revamp is not without controversyIt's over 500 years old, has survived fire and earthquakes, welcomes up to 400,000 people a day and takes pride in being the world's most visited destination, making it more popular than the Eiffel Tower.

Istanbul's historic Grand Bazaar is about to undergo a much-needed renovation that will last a decade and cost tens of millions of dollars. But the revamp is not without controversyIt's over 500 years old, has survived fire and earthquakes, welcomes up to 400,000 people a day and takes pride in being the world's most visited destination, making it more popular than the Eiffel Tower.

There has been intense speculation for days about whether President Tayyip Erdo?an plans to announce the reopening of the Hagia Sophia to Islamic worship, ahead of Turkey?s critical parliamentary election on June 7.

Cannonballs from the 15th century period of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II have been unearthed during recent archaeological excavations in a castle on the Takkeli Mount of the Central Anatolian province of Konya, which was once the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk state.

The early morning prayers of several thousand of devout Muslims outside the Hagia Sophia Museum Saturday (May 31) sent multiple messages to everybody who is trying to decipher the complexity of present Turkish politics.