Holy cities

The Greek Foreign Ministry has denounced a decision by Turkey that verses of the Quran be recited at the Byzantine-era cathedral Hagia Sophia on the anniversary of the fall of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in 1453 as an "unacceptable attempt to alter the site's designation as monument" and as an "affront to the religious sentiment of Christians throughout the world.

Greece denounced on Friday a decision by Turkey to hold a "fiestas" outside Istanbul's Byzantine-era cathedral Hagia Sophia during Friday's prayers on the anniversary of the city's 1453 conquest by Ottoman troops.

Imams will recite verses of the Quran in Istanbul's Byzantine-era cathedral Hagia Sophia during Friday's prayers on the anniversary of the city's 1453 conquest by Ottoman troops, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said according to reports Thursday.

Hundreds of Muslims returning to Turkey from the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were being housed in student dormitories on April 5 as part of quarantine measures against the novel coronavirus.
A total of 362 passengers went through health checks after arriving at Konya Airport.

The period of the rise of the Ottoman Empire will be the center of the new Netflix series "Rise of Empires: Ottoman."

The series will focus on the period of the conquest of Istanbul and the rule of Ottoman Emperor Mehmet II, who conquered the city from the Byzantines in 1453.

Inspired by the popular board game Monopoly, Greek designers created Constantinopoly, where players buy plots in Constantinople using Byzantine and Ottoman coins to build the city's famous monuments, while historical events such as the city's fall in 1453 influence the development of the game. The board game aims to spread knowledge of Greek culture and history in an innovative way.

The first group of prospective Turkish pilgrims left Istanbul on July 5 for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming annual Hajj duty.

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled against the Greek Orthodox Church in a long-running legal battle over the sale of three properties in predominantly Palestinian parts of Jerusalem's Old City to a Jewish settler group.

"Lalibela: Land of Angels," on show at the Melina Municipal Cultural Center in Athens, is a collection of photographs taken by Vassilis Artikos during several visits to the UNESCO-listed Ethiopian city, where he participated in Ethiopian Orthodox Christian celebrations and customs. Located in the Amhara region, Lalibela is Ethiopia's second holiest city after Axum.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the 556th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) to Ottoman Turk forces on May 29 in 1453.