Turkey's presidential spokesperson has said the art, artefacts and architecture of the historic building will not be damaged. A Turkish court annulled a 1934 decree to restore Hagia Sophia's status as a mosque, with the first prayers set for July 24.
On May 29, 1453, the ancient Roman city of Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Many historians consider the event – and this day – as marking the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of Europe's early modern period.
Napoleon Bonaparte's ambition to establish an empire in the East was crushed in 1799 at the Siege of Acre by Ahmed Jazzar Pasha.
Turkish President Erdogan's visit to Pakistan comes at a testing time for both countries and speaks to the durable nature of the relationship.
Known for their decorations and symbols, Ottoman cemeteries are still a mystery for many.
With Topkapi Palace, the administrative and residential power centre of the house of Ottomans, the Turkish government has inherited many valuable holy relics including the Prophet Muhammad's personal belongings.
Ahmet Berat Conkar, a senior lawmaker in Turkey's governing AK Party, terms accusations against Ankara made on Twitter by the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs as "baseless and unfortunate."
Two roads next to the Embassy of United Arab Emirates in Ankara have been renamed in the wake of a row between Turkey and the UAE.
In a two-day visit to Khartoum, President Erdogan says Turkey wants to boost bilateral trade volume with Sudan to $10 billion.
In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel destroyed an 800-year-old neighbourhood that had belonged to the Ottoman Empire for centuries. Now Turkey wants that hotly contested land back, and is lobbying for regional support for the initiative.
If the Ottoman Empire had survived, Osman Bayezid would have become the ruler of the once powerful dynasty. Instead, the last family heir worked as a librarian, did puppet shows for kids and devoted his life to taking care of his mother.
It has been 563 years since the Ottoman Turks conquered Istanbul.
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