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TASS/. Despite the change in status, Hagia Sophia will still be protected as a cultural heritage site, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference in Ankara Tuesday.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the decision after a court annulled the site's museum status. Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted ...

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the ...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among the worshippers ... Kemal Ataturk. Getty Images Hagia Sophia, which was built 1,500 years ago, was a Orthodox Christian cathedral until the Ottoman ...

Turkey has created a digital twin of Hagia Sophia, to rebuild it if it gets destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake or fire.

presents Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan as heir to the Ottoman and Seljuk dynasties and portrays Turkish conquerors praying in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the former Byzantine basilica ...

The conversion of Hagia Sophia back into a mosque was not just a domestic move but a symbolic one, signaling Erdogan's intent to reclaim a historical and religious leadership role that once ...

In a divided world, sacred spaces like Al Aqsa and Babri Masjid, which have raised nationalistic fervour, should have endured ...

Hagia Sophia, a major tourist attraction, has been the scene of Islam-linked activities in recent years. In 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan controversially recited a verse from the Quran in ...

Hagia Sophia, a major tourist attraction, has been the scene of Islam-linked activities in recent years. In 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan controversially recited a verse from the Koran in ...

“I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened,” Pope ... Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who critics say is chipping away at the Muslim-majority country's secular pillars ...