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.

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 ...

Tourists flock en masse to the Hagia Sophia for its stunning architecture, glorious interior views and historical significance. Built between 532 and 537, the building was a church for nearly a ...