During this time, minarets—tall towers from which the Islamic call to prayer is projected—were added to the exterior. After being used as an interfaith museum from 1935, Hagia Sophia was ...

Turkey's Hagia Sophia will open to visitors outside prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious officials said on Tuesday, after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque.

Built by the Romans 1,500 years ago, the Hagia Sophia was the biggest church in the world. No expense was spared: it contained coloured marble from around the Roman Empire and nearly 10,000 square ...