Sultanahmet
Turkic Council’s name changed to Organization of Turkic States
The name of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) has been changed to the Organization of Turkic States, according to a joint declaration of the Council's 8th Summit in Istanbul.
Turkish president inaugurates Turkic Council General Secretariat building
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan along with leaders of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) attended on Nov. 2 the official opening ceremony of the council's general secretariat building in Istanbul.
Hundreds of Turks demand that the Hagia Sophia be turned into mosque
A large rally was held in Istanbul on Sunday, with hundreds of Turks demanding that the Hagia Sophia cathedral be turned into a mosque. The rally was held by “NGOs” in the Sultanahmet district, where the one-time pre-eminent Orthodox cathedral has been turned into a museum since 1935.
Hundreds call for Hagia Sophia to be converted into mosque in Istanbul rally
Hundreds of people demanded that the historic Istanbul Hagia Sophia museum be converted into a mosque during a rally in Istanbul on May 24.
People gathered outside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, in the historical Sultanahmet district, with some carrying signs that read: "Hagia Sophia needs to be reopened as a mosque," and "Let our lives be sacrificed for Islam."
Samples authenticate the identity of Russian bomber in Sultanahmet
Russian security forces announced on March 17 the tissue samples taken from Turkey have authenticated the identity of Diana Ramazova, a Russian citizen from the Republic of Dagestan who blew herself up in a suicide bomb attack on the Tourism Police Station in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district on Jan. 6, killing one policeman.
Far-left group retracts claim of responsibility for suicide attack in Istanbul
A far-left Turkish group on Jan. 9 retracted its claim of responsibility for a suicide bombing of a police station in central Istanbul this week.