Foreign tourists visiting the former Orthodox Christian cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will have to pay an entrance fee of 25 euros from Monday, January 15, 2024. This was announced by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry already some time ago. The 1,500-year-old Byzantine cathedral, which was converted from a …

In an open letter to the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, the Association of Greek Archaeologists (SEA) sounded the alarm over recent reports of vandalism and damage to the former Orthodox cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was converted to a mosque in 2020. They also raised concerns …

Hundreds of Turkish children shouted “Allahu Akbar” in the cradle of Greek Orthodoxy Hagia Sophia. On the video recording the event, someone is heard giving the signal word “takbeer” to start a prayer with “Allah is great.” The children shout. Video: The event “Hagia Sophia Summer School Meeting” was reportedly …

New vandalism in Hagia Sophia: Turkish women scratch the interior walls of the cradle of Orthodoxy and take small pieces and even dust in plastic bags. They keep the stolen pieces as souvenirs, thus damaging the 1,500-year-old monument under UNESCO protection. Images of the “new hobby” have been posted first …

The new generation of Turkish passports will feature an updated design, including a drawing of the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine cathedral-turned-mosque,  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said in an address to the nation. Erdogan formally converted Istanbul’s crowing architectural jewel from a museum into a mosque in 2020, in …

The historic Imperial Gate in Hagia Sophia has been destroyed, the Turkish Union of Art History posted together with a picture on Tuesday. The picture shows in detail how the oak wood of the 15-century-old gate has been damaged. The security officer in charge simply said: No worries, it can …

Turkey has converted another Hagia Sophia church into a mosque. To stress yet another provocation towards the former Greek Orthodox community and Greece , Ankara held the opening ceremony on the Christmas Eve, on December 24. The 12th century church is located in the northwest province of Edirne on the …

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee issued a statement about over Turkey’s decision to turn the world monuments of Hagia Sophia and Chora Monastery into mosques. The committee, meeting for the 44the session online from China, also expressed regret that Turkey’s government ignored repeated calls by UNESCO to observe the guidelines …

Turkey opened the doors of Hagia Sophia to thousands of worshipers for the Eid prayer marking the end of Ramadan early Thursday morning. It is the first Eid prayer after “an 87-year hiatus,” state-run news agency anadolu claimed. Certain it that it is the first time the Eid sermon was …

In a nationalistic rant Turkish so-called “diplomacy” openly threatened Greece with a war similar to the one in 1920-1922. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Ankara called Greece “racist”, “hostile towards Islam and Turkey” and the “spoiled children of Europe.” It claimed further that Hagia Sophia was “the …

On 24 of July 2020, when Hagia Sophia was officially converted into a mosque, is the day Greek patriots wished the “Marbled King” would wake up, conquer Constantinople again and have Turks return to their homeland, the Red Apple Tree.  The “Marbled King” is Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine …

With prayers, flags in half-mast and church bells tolls in mourning, Greeks react to the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. As the Muslim prayer slowly starts in Istanbul Friday noon, clerics and common people gather in churches across Greece to pray on this day of mourning that …

Thousands of worshipers have been flocking to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul on Friday to attend the first Muslim prayer after 86 years. Some of them even camped outside the Building that was a World Heritage Site over the night and read prayers at the dawn. “Hagia Sophia is ready for …

Just a few hours are left before Turkey officially converts Hagia Sophia into a mosque and inaugurates the sacrilege fiesta with the first Muslim prayer on Friday. Workers are zealously proceed with works to hide all Christian symbols in the Byzantine Basilica of the 6th century. But no mater how …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis to visit Hagia Sophia, following the decision to convert it from a museum into a mosque. According to spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey has invited everyone to the mosque, including Pope Francis. …

Mosaics depicting Christian figures in Istanbul’s ancient Hagia Sophia will be covered with curtains during Muslim prayers, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Sunday, as work to prepare the building for use as a mosque continues. Authorities had said last week that the mosaics would be concealed with either …

“Turkey’s behavior on the issue of Hagia Sophia is directed against Europe,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday adding that this behavior was “outside the frame and international law. During joint statements with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in Athens, Mitsotakis said that “Turkey’s provocations, which are many, are …

Residents of Trikala in central Greece vented their anger at the doors of a 5-century-old mosque as a “retaliation” for the decision of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. According to local media trikalanews, a group of citizens went to the mosque and threw stones …

European Union foreign ministers on Monday criticized Turkey for several reasons, including energy exploration in disputed Mediterranean waters and changing the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque. For their first face-to-face meeting in months, the ministers were planning to discuss taking a tougher stand on Ankara …

Pope Francis said on Sunday that he is “deeply pained” over the decision by Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. “My thoughts are in Istanbul, I’m thinking of Hagia Sophia and I’m deeply pained,” the Pontifex said on Sunday, during his weekly blessing in St …