The magnificent sites of Istanbul help Türkiye recover from tragedy

Türkiye is going through a difficult period due to the devastating earthquake that hit the southeast of the country. Türkiye’s income from the tourism sector is important and most tourist sites, such as Istanbul, have not been affected by this huge tragedy.

Visitors from all over the world continue to be welcomed. And the revenues from the tourism sector will help rebuild the affected regions.

Istanbul, a crossroads between Asia and Europe is a colourful city offering a wealth of opportunities for lovers of art, music and culture. Famous all over the world for its rich historical heritage, the ancient and the modern live side by side here.

And there’s no better place to experience Istanbul’s rich heritage than Hagia Sophia, an expression of religious faith and one of the great architectural wonders of the world.

Built as a cathedral in the 6th century under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I and formerly called the Church of the Holy Wisdom, this edifice is an excellent example of Byzantine art. Later it was transformed into an Islamic mosque, until 1935. Then it became a museum. And since 2020 it has been a mosque again.

Inside you can admire its massive dome, golden mosaics and 140 monolithic marble columns, imported from Egypt, Ephesus and other places around the world.

It's a must-see attraction for the millions of tourists that visit Istanbul every year.

"We’re on a journey around the Middle East and we stopped in Istanbul to visit Hagia Sophia, which is really magnificent," says Florencia Lehmann from Buenos Aires. "So we’re very happy to be here."

"This Hagia Sophia is a landmark and famous across the world. We're told that the architecture is really one of a kind," says Jessica Gounden, a tourist from