Fatih

The decision of Istanbul University, one of Türkiye's venerable educational institutions, to open its campuses to public visits has ignited controversy.

The newspaper Yeni Safak reported that the Turkish authorities are continuing with their plans to convert another significant Byzantine monument into a mosque, intending to open it to Muslim worshippers for the Friday prayers on February 23.

Turkish authorities are reportedly moving ahead with the conversion of another Byzantine Greek Orthodox church into a mosque. The Chora Church in Istanbul will be open to Muslim worshippers for Friday prayers on February 23, according to a report in the Yeni Safak newspaper.

Foreign tourists will be required to pay an entrance fee of 25 euros to visit the Hagia Sophia Mosque as of Jan. 15.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has completed its efforts to separate the entrances of worshippers and cultural visitors to the Hagia Sophia Mosque. Tourists will now be able to visit the mosque without disturbing the environment of worship.

Foreign tourists entering the former Orthodox Christian cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will have to pay an entrance fee from Monday, as announced by Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry. 

The Fener Greek Patriarchate, based in Balat-Istanbul, has held the traditional ceremony of pulling the cross from the sea at the Golden Horn in Istanbul succeeding the mass.

Journalist Fatih Altaylı, against whom an investigation was launched due to a social media post in support of the student who punched a man carrying a religious order flag, has been released on a judicial control order with a travel ban and a signature requirement.

Türkiye's first Osteoarchaeology Application and Research Center at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa (IÜÇ) has revealed important findings that throw light on Istanbul's diverse wildlife from 8,500 years ago.

Though Istanbul is famous for its cats and seagulls today, many species ranging from elephants to deer and vultures to loggerheads were found in Istanbul thousands of years ago.

A Turkish newspaper has published video footage showing fragments of building material falling from inside the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, raising concern about the integrity of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral and the safety of visitors.

Foreign nationals visiting Istanbul's Hagia Sophia for tourism purposes will be subject to an entrance fee starting from Jan. 15, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.