Several Istanbul residents rushed to the building Friday, some hoping to hold prayers there, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported. “Like the Hagia Sophia, this is an important mosque for ...

The decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia – a former cathedral that was turned into a mosque after Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire and had served as a museum for 86 years – sparked deep ...

S eraffettin was at home under coronavirus ­lockdown on May 29 when a Muslim cleric recited Quranic verses atop a carpeted dais inside Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum. But the imam’s reading ...

Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in A.D. 537, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque with the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Istanbul. But Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding leader of the ...

The Hagia Sophia church, now a museum, on October 17, 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. Carsten Koall/Getty. Now the Hagia Sophia (the usual English spelling) has once again become a symbol, this time of ...

The decision sparked deep dismay among Orthodox Christians. Originally a cathedral, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire but had been a museum for ...

Originally a cathedral, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after Istanbul’s conquest by the Ottoman Empire but had been a museum for the last 86 years, drawing millions of tourists annually.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia would become a mosque once again, brushing aside a legacy of Turkey’s secularizing modern founder ...

"We've waited for years to pray here" - the history of Hagia Sophia Crowds gathered in Istanbul as the historic Hagia Sophia site opened for Friday prayers for the first time since Turkish ...

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Turkish government formally converted a former Byzantine church into a mosque Friday, a move that came a month after it drew praise from the faithful and international ...

“Like the Hagia Sophia, this is an important mosque for Muslims,” the agency quoted Istanbul resident Cuma Er as saying. “We came here to pray after we learned about the decision.