Turkey has opened the ancient Chora church, one of Istanbul's most celebrated Byzantine buildings, to Muslim worshippers after it was used as a museum for more than 70 years, making it the second such major conversion under President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, a champion of pious Muslims in Turkey and head of a party with Islamist roots, turned Istanbul's world-renowned Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque in 2020 in a ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people. That move was criticised by church leaders and some Western countries, who said reconverting Hagia Sophia risked deepening religious rifts. Erdogan said this was interference in sovereign rights and that he was determined to protect Muslims' rights. FILE PHOTO: 3-year-old Esra waits with his father to attend an af...
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As days get shorter across the UK signalling the beginning of the cooler months, summer is here to stay at Cullinan Belek, the recently opened luxury property on the Turkish Riviera. Named after the largest rough diamond ever found, the hotel first opened its doors earlier this summer in June, welcoming guests to enjoy the turquoise coast, five-star service and lavish facilities. With sunshine and warm temperatures continuing well into November, the property offers guests the opportunity to enjoy an extended summer and make the most of the weather with a host of activities and entertainment options. Located on the longest stretch of coast in Antalya, Cullinan Belek is set on its own expansive stretch of private white-sand beach almost one kilometre long. Guests can t...
Read MoreStargazers gathered to watch the Perseid meteor shower among ancient statues atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey. Hundreds spent the night at the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the annual meteor show that stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift–Tuttle. Ancient statues are seen as stargazers gather to watch the Perseid meteor shower atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Perched at an altitude of 2,150 meters (over 7,000 feet), the statues are part of a temple and tomb complex that King Antiochus I, of the ancient Commagene kingdom, built as a monument to himself. A 50-meter-high (164-foot-high), man-made mound — the presumed tomb of Antiochus — sets the background. The ancient site that includes giant 10-meter (33-fo...
Read MoreTurkey’s first independent carbon-neutral hotel group commits to excellence in luxury hospitality with its latest opening The Stay Boulevard Nisantasi, Istanbul’s hottest new hotel for 2022, is now open for bookings in the heart of the city’s refined fashion and cultural district. The beautifully designed 82-room property is housed in an elegant building in the heart of Nisantasi and joins the established collection of luxurious and culturally connected properties. Standards of Excellence for Sustainability Naturally, the new hotel meets The Stay Hotels’ standards of excellence for sustainability, as part of Turkey’s first carbon-neutral independent hotel group. Recently awarded carbon-neutral status by the internationally recognised sustainability specialist Bureau Veritas, the ...
Read MoreWith traveler confidence taking yet another hit amid the rising cost-of-living across Europe, Turkey will emerge as the destination of choice for budget-conscious travelers in 2022, finds GlobalData, the leading data and analytics company. Research from GlobalData’s Traveler Spending Patterns database shows that in-destination spending is relatively low in Turkey, despite the average stay for inbound tourists (9.7 days) being the second-longest in Europe in 2021. Compared to average inbound expenditure in popular leisure destinations such as Spain and Portugal, travelers could potentially save anywhere between $230 and $770 per trip if they travel to Turkey instead of these destinations. FILE PHOTO: A man sits in an area marked by cordons of ropes and wooden stakes to enforce social...
Read More533 feet long Eclipse is one of the world’s biggest yachts A second superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in a Turkish resort on Tuesday and sources familiar with the discussions said he and other wealthy Russians were looking to invest in Turkey given sanctions elsewhere. Western governments have targeted Abramovich and several other Russian oligarchs with sanctions as they seek to isolate President Vladimir Putin and his allies over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Eclipse, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is docked in Marmaris, Turkey March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik While strongly criticising the invasion, Turkey has said it opposes sanctions imposed by its NATO allies on principle. That could set it up as...
Read MoreGreece protests to Turkey over ‘desecration’ at Sumela monastery Greece's foreign ministry said on Monday images showing a band dancing to electronic music at the former Orthodox Christian Sumela monastery in Turkey were "offensive" and "a desecration" of the monument. The ministry called on Turkish authorities "to do their utmost to prevent such acts from being repeated" and to respect the site, a candidate for UNESCO's list of world heritage sites. "The recent images that were displayed on social media, in which a foreign band seems to be dancing disco in the area of the Historical Monastery of Panagia Soumela, are a desecration of this Monument," it said. Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment. FILE PHOTO: A general view of the ancient Sumela Mona...
Read MoreSome Istanbul Airport flights resumed on Tuesday after nearly 24 hours of cancellations as heavy snowfall clogged roads and stranded thousands of people across Turkey and Greece. In Athens, thousands were evacuated from a motorway and took shelter at the city's airport after Monday's severe snowstorm. By Tuesday, dozens of cars were still covered in snow as ploughs tried to clear roads. In Istanbul, the airport, among the world's biggest, was under a thick blanket of snow with runways and planes covered. Nuruosmaniye Mosque and Grand Bazaar, known as the Covered Bazaar, in Eminonu district are seen during heavy snowfall in Istanbul, Turkey January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas The snowfall began late last week and picked up over the past days in the city of 16 million people, ...
Read MoreA traditional camel wrestling festival in western Turkey that attracts thousands of people every year is drawing criticism from animal rights activists who say the big ruminants are abused and injured during the event. The 40th International Camel Wrestling Festival was held in Selcuk, part of the Aegean province of Izmir, on Sunday with 152 camels sporting saddles and ornamental cloths and embroidery of various patterns and colours on their humps and necks. A wrestling camel adorned with colourful ornaments takes part in the Camel Beauty Contest ahead of the annual 40th Efes Selcuk Camel Wrestling Festival, in the Aegean town of Selcuk, near Izmir, Turkey January 15, 2022. REUTERS/Murad Sezer The camels are brought into a sandy arena to tangle with each other, with referees and ...
Read MoreThe first cancellations from tourists booked onto one of Ozkan Selcuk's cruises off Turkey's southern coast came when the forests near where he takes visitors turtle-watching caught fire. A year after the global COVID-19 pandemic devastated Turkey's tourism industry, the worst wildfires in living memory along its southern coast have delivered a fresh blow to the sector which makes up some 5% of the Turkish economy. A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire near Marmaris, Turkey, August 1, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas File Photo/File Photo Tens of thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed in 10 days in Mediterranean and Aegean provinces in what President Tayyip Erdogan has called Turkey's worst ever wildfires. Eight people have died and thousands of Turks and tourists ha...
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