Holy cities

The restoration works being carried out using the most advanced techniques in Istanbul's landmark Hagia Sophia have set a clear example for the world to see a work of exceptional precision, keeping the cultural heritage of different beliefs and civilizations intact, the provincial director of culture and tourism has said.

The imam at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia mosque announced on April 8 he is stepping down from his duties to return to academic studies.

Mehmet Boynukalın, whose assignment at the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia was temporary, asked to leave the post, and his request was accepted.

Multiple excavations from sites of ancient Philistine cities, such as Ashkelon, on the coast of what is now Israel, have yielded pottery remains that are Greek in style

“Suddenly one ran after another to take the cross. Thus, by groups of twenty, or fifty, or a hundred, they put up banners and began to journey to Jerusalem”

The Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum, which has the museum-hotel concept and displays artifacts belonging to five different periods, has welcomed 22,500 visitors since its opening last year.

Turkish archeologists have unearthed a seal belonging to ancient Egypt in a Black Sea city called Comana Potica, which dates back thousands of years.

This Christmas was celebrated differently in the Biblical birthplace of Jesus.

There will be no foreign tourists and  pilgrims due to a coronavirus travel ban on foreign nationals.

The decision on Friday by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's Culture Committee condemning Turkey's move to convert Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from a museum into a mosque was hailed by the Greek delegation head, Dora Bakoyannis, as Europe's response to Turkey's "systematic violations of democratic principles and values."

Heavy rains on June 14 caused some rocks at Istanbul's historical walls to collapse in Fatih district, damaging vehicles passing by them, with no casualties.

Police, firefighters and municipal teams were sent to the area upon notification after the rocks of the 1,600-year-old walls in the city's peninsula collapsed onto two cars.

Greece has no say over what happens to Istanbul's Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said, while accusing Athens of undermining the religious freedoms of its Muslim community.