3+ week, 4+ day ago (718+ words) At Topkap" Palace's Sacred Trusts Chamber, one of the most visited sections of the historic site, a unique tradition established during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim continues uninterrupted for more than five centuries, a 24-hour, nonstop Quran recitation. Located within the Enderun Courtyard of Topkap" Palace, the Sacred Trusts Chamber draws visitors year-round, who are welcomed by the constant sound of Quranic verses being recited. This longstanding practice symbolizes a perpetual vigil that has endured for approximately 500 years without pause. The Quran is recited around the clock by 28 hafizes, who have memorized the entire Quran and rotate shifts in intervals of 45 minutes to one hour. Each hafiz takes part in a relay system, maintaining the continuous recitation both day and night. As a result, one full Quran recital, a hatim, is completed daily, adding up to 365 hatims…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (389+ words) Muslims from different countries gathered to trace the path of Prophet Muhammad's migration (Hijrah) from Mecca to Medina in 622. They completed a weeklong journey, experiencing the route's historical and spiritual significance. The expedition was organized by the U.K.-based Hijrah Hub, which arranged the journey along the Hijrah route with expert guides. Covering approximately 450 kilometers (279.6 miles) between Mecca and Medina, the team completed 315 kilometers along the traditional route. Participants alternated between walking, riding camels and traveling by vehicle to cover the distance. Some 15 participants from around the world walked in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad and his companions, visiting key locations along the route and gaining an immersive experience of the historical and spiritual significance of the Hijrah. Upon reaching Medina after the challenging journey, the participants were warmly welcomed with roses and prayers. Their first stop in Medina was the…...

4+ day, 1+ hour ago (720+ words) The fact that halal products and services are offered to consumers with their clean, healthy and religiously sensitive qualities reaching 2 billion people worldwide has strengthened expectations about the future of the sector, President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an said on Wednesday. Sending a text message to the opening ceremony of the World Halal Summit, Erdo'an recalled that the summit hosted 50,000 visitors from 50 countries and over 500 firms last year, adding he believes that these figures will increase this year. He said the global halal sector has grown to $7 trillion and that many people around the world prefer halal products. The World Halal Summit, the biggest event in the global halal market, will have a significant impact on the sector, he added. The World Halal Summit and Halal Expo kicked off simultaneously on Wednesday in Istanbul, bringing together sector participants under the main theme…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (45+ words) Pilgrims retrace Prophet Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina Muslims from several countries began an eight-day spiritual journey from Mecca to Medina on Nov. 3, retracing Prophet Muhammad's migration as part of a walk organized by the U.K.-based Hijrah Hub....

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (687+ words) When it was discovered a decade ago, the fourth-century basilica of Nicaea was totally submerged, its importance to early Christian history hidden beneath a lake in northwestern T'rkiye. Now, the church in Iznik, a small town several hours from Istanbul, stands on dry land, its ruins exposed as the waters that engulfed it for more than 700 years have receded due to climate change. Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings, which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalized Christianity, ending years of persecution, torture and death. In A.D. 325, Constantine the Great convened the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of 318 bishops who, after two months of intense debate, drafted the Nicaean Creed, a statement of faith still central to Christianity. Pope Leo XIV's visit…...

2+ day, 13+ min ago (836+ words) Pope Leo XIV on Friday joined Orthodox patriarchs and other Christian leaders in commemorating an important moment in Christian history, gathering at the site in T'rkiye of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be reunited. Speaking at the landmark event with Christian leaders from across the Middle East, Leo condemned violence in the name of religion, urging them to overcome centuries of heated divisions. At a celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of a major Church council with senior clerics from countries including T'rkiye, Egypt, Syria and Israel, he called it a scandal that the world's 2.6 billion Christians were not more united. "Today, the whole of humanity, afflicted by violence and conflict, is crying out for reconciliation," Leo said at a ceremony in the Turkish town of Iznik, once known as Nicaea, where early churchmen created…...

4+ day, 22+ hour ago (473+ words) The popemobile used by the late Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem has resurfaced as a mobile children's clinic set to serve in Gaza. The vehicle is still unmistakable as a popemobile: pristine white inside and out, and with the familiar raised canopy. But instead of transporting the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, the re-branded "Vehicle of Hope" is now set to serve in Gaza Strip " destroyed with almost two years of Israeli attacks " in accordance with the late pope's wishes. It was unveiled in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, around the corner from the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, where preparations are well underway for Christmas. "The Vehicle of Hope is ready for its new mission," Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the Bishop of Stockholm, told a press conference, after blessing the vehicle. "We want…...

2+ hour, 26+ min ago (916+ words) Pope Leo XIV's first trip to T'rkiye ended on Sunday after four days. The pontiff, who received warm welcome by T'rkiye's Christian community, was set to depart for Lebanon with a message of peace for the crisis-mired nation. On the last day of his visit, his first trip overseas since being elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo participated in several Sunday services in another demonstration of his desire for greater unity among different branches of the Church. At the Armenian Cathedral, Leo said had words of encouragement for the largest of T'rkiye's Christian communities that counts some 50,000 members, thanking God "for the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often amid tragic circumstances." It was an apparent nod to mass deaths of Armenians during the Ottoman rule between 1915 and 1916. T'rkiye rejects the term of genocide for…...

2+ day, 3+ hour ago (738+ words) The decision of the new pope " remarkable already as the first American pontiff " to make his inaugural international visit to T'rkiye and Lebanon in November 2025 is a choice lade... Subtle signals: Pope Leo XIV's choice of T'rkiye and Lebanon By choosing T'rkiye and Lebanon for his first trip, the new American pope sends a striking message of moral pushback in the Middle East and a call for deeper interfaith engagement The decision of the new pope " remarkable already as the first American pontiff " to make his inaugural international visit to T'rkiye and Lebanon in November 2025 is a choice laden with symbolism. From the outset, he has signaled a personal style distinct from his predecessors: speaking publicly in English, when the occasion arises, rather than Italian, addressing global audiences with clarity and accessibility, and projecting a leader who aims to speak…...

2+ day, 20+ min ago (470+ words) Pope Leo XIV arrived in T'rkiye on Thursday for his first overseas journey after becoming head of the Catholic Church in May. The historic three-day visit aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation marks a significant moment in T'rkiye-Vatican relations. The two-staged trip, centered on the district of Iznik (ancient Nicaea) and Istanbul, emerges not only as a symbolic pilgrimage but also diplomatic move to deliver peace messages to the world from T'rkiye. Welcomed by high-ranking Turkish officials, Pope Leo and President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an held a meeting in Ankara on Thursday at the Presidential Complex. The two leaders discussed T'rkiye-Vatican relations as well as current regional and global issues, particularly focusing on the genocide in Gaza and efforts to ensure stability in the Middle East. "Izmit holds a 'privileged' position for Vatican-papal visits. The three-day visit to…...