Constantinople

Murat Kurum, the mayoral candidate for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul, has unveiled his agenda, focusing on critical issues such as urban transformation and traffic problems.

In a bid to boost tourism and make it easier for tourists to access the city, Istanbul Municipality has launched the "Visit Istanbul" web portal that features an artificial intelligence tourist guide application and a platform for content creators.

"Due to bad weather conditions, the Bosphorus strait near Istanbul is temporarily closed to the passage of ships in both directions," according to a statement carried by RIA.
The Dardanelles Strait was also closed to traffic earlier.
A yellow weather alert is in effect in the Istanbul area due to hurricane-force winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

A Turkish newspaper has published video footage showing fragments of building material falling from inside the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, raising concern about the integrity of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral and the safety of visitors.

“Raptor” had left Decelia, Egypt bound for Constantinople – She suffered mechanical failure, issued a mayday signal and then her track was lost

Foreign nationals visiting Istanbul's Hagia Sophia for tourism purposes will be subject to an entrance fee starting from Jan. 15, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

Tourists wishing to visit Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will have to pay admission starting in January 2024, the country's culture minister announced on Tuesday.

The 1,500-year-old Byzantine cathedral, which was converted from a museum into a mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and receives over 3.5 million visitors a year.

The 10th destination of the Türkiye Cultural Road Festivals, one of the most comprehensive culture and arts projects organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, is the Ephesus Cultural Road Festival.

The death toll from severe rainstorms that have lashed parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria has increased to 11 after rescue teams in the three neighboring countries recovered four more bodies.

At least five people have lost their lives in nighttime flash floods from torrential rains that turned the streets of Istanbul and the northwestern city of Kırklareli to rushing rivers.