Hagia Sophia, Trabzon

The signs have been placed in districts bordering the Sea of Marmara, up to the Phanar, outside the Patriarchate in the Keratian Gulf - Concern also for Hagia Sophia - See photos

A new cat has sauntered into the Hagia Sophia mosque's newly opened visiting floor, capturing the hearts of local and foreign tourists in Istanbul and evoking the fond memory of Gli, the beloved feline who passed away in 2020.

Turkish authorities are reportedly moving ahead with the conversion of another Byzantine Greek Orthodox church into a mosque. The Chora Church in Istanbul will be open to Muslim worshippers for Friday prayers on February 23, according to a report in the Yeni Safak newspaper.

Authorities in Turkey are moving ahead with the conversion of another important Byzantine monument, the Chora Church, into a mosque, with plans to open it to Muslim worshippers for Friday prayers on February 23, the Yeni Safak newspaper has reported.

Foreign tourists will be required to pay an entrance fee of 25 euros to visit the Hagia Sophia Mosque as of Jan. 15.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has completed its efforts to separate the entrances of worshippers and cultural visitors to the Hagia Sophia Mosque. Tourists will now be able to visit the mosque without disturbing the environment of worship.

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.

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 Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has transformed an ancient land registry office building in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square into a museum that narrates all the changes in Hagia Sophia from its initial construction to the present day.

Turkey's Communications Directorate is set to hold two exhibitions in New York next week.

In a statement on Sept. 18, the directorate said that the exhibitions named American Ottomans and The Legends of Hagia Sophia will open doors for art lovers on Sept. 19.

By George Gilson

When in July, 2020 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned the Hagia Sofia Museum into to a mosque, he sparked an international outcry.

Over a year later, addressing members of his AKP party in Rize, Erdogan accused the opposition of trying to keep Hagia Sophia closed.