Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Former U.S. President Barack Obama shared his visit to Istanbul during his presidency while addressing younger generations in his speech at the online program "Reshape Virtual Summit 2021."

"I visited Istanbul (largest metropolitan city of Turkey) on my first trip abroad as the president, and it was wonderful. It is an extraordinary country with extraordinary people," Obama said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked his aides to conduct a comprehensive study on how to convert Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia landmark, currently a museum, into a mosque, a Turkish newspaper reported on Friday.

The first and only six-minaret mosque of Ottoman architecture - the iconic Blue Mosque in Istanbul - is undergoing the most comprehensive restoration in its 400-year history.

Forty-five electrical panels two-meters-long have been placed on the outer walls of Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı or Egyptian Bazaar) located near the iconic Hagia Sophia Museum and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul’s Eminönü neighborhood.

A few months after a controversial decision by Turkish authorities to allow readings from the Quran to be broadcast from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, reports on Friday said Turkey had decided to appoint a permanent imam for the venue.

Guests of the iconic Selimiye Mosque in Turkey's northwestern province of Edirne will soon be given socks free of charge to wear while visiting the mosque.

Edirne Mufti Emrullah Üzüm said the free sock distribution was going to begin soon to avoid any problems regarding the cleanliness of the rugs inside the mosque. 

The Directorate General of Foundations has taken one minaret of an Istanbul icon, the historical Sultanahmet Mosque with six minarets, under restoration on that grounds that the minaret had shifted.

Pope Francis has started the second leg of his three-day visit to Turkey, in a richly-symbolic trip. Like his predecessor, he prayed at the Blue Mosque, which was his first stop in Istanbul, before visiting the Hagia Sophia, the St. Esprit Cathedral and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on Nov. 29.

Pope Francis has arrived in Istanbul for the second leg of his three-day visit to Turkey, in a richly-symbolic trip set to include tours of a mosque and the Hagia Sophia, as well as a meeting with the Orthodox patriarch.

Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles has shown his newest tattoo, featuring the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, during a recent training for his team’s upcoming game at the World Cup in Brazil.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool player now calls Turkey his home, as he plays for Turkish football giants Fenerbahçe.