Zeynep Ahunbay

The Tourism Ministry has denied allegations of laminate flooring installed during the restoration works in Hagia Sophia after photographs circulating in the media drew backlash from people, clarifying that a removable wooden coating was used on the marble on the stairs to increase slip resistance. 

With the completion of the restoration works, the Maiden's Tower was opened to visitors late on May 11 with light and laser shows, and entries will be free until the end of May.

Istanbul has not been able to see the Maiden's Tower, one of the landmarks that complete its silhouette, for a while.

Last November, a pier was built around it, and it was covered with a curtain that reads "The Maiden's Tower opens its eyes again," with the logo of the Culture and Tourism Ministry on it.

Vlora Han, an inn that highlights Western influences that crept into Istanbul at a time when the Ottoman palace was enthralled with the Art Nouveau styles spreading throughout European cultures, has been expecting restoration since it has been in a state of ruin due to neglect.

In a bid to revive Istanbul's iconic Maiden's Tower, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has initiated a restoration project titled "The Maiden's Tower Opens Its Eyes Again."

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Istanbul's interdisciplinary art festival, Pera Fest, which has chosen "Art against Discrimination" as the theme of its 14th edition, opened on March 21 with a poetry & music event at Tiyatro Pera. Despite the general atmosphere of fear and anxiety due to the recent terror attack's proximity to the event, many of the invited artists attended the festival's opening event.     

Mechtild Rössler, the director of both UNESCO's Division for Heritage and World Heritage Center, has declared Turkey did not apply for the inclusion of the ancient city of Hasankeyf on the UNESCO World Heritage List.