Pope Leo in Turkey: Pontiff Visits Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Mosque

The Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo, is visiting Istanbul's Sultanahmet Mosque shortly as part of his four-day trip to Turkiye.

The pontiff is following in the footsteps of his predecessors Pope Benedict who visited the place of worship in 2006 and Francis who did the same in 2014.

Unusually, Pope Leo is not expected to visit the nearby Hagia Sophia. It was built in the sixth century and it has great significance to both Christians and Muslims.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar reports.

Pope Leo Visits Turkey on His First Trip Abroad: What Can We Expect? | DW News

Nov 26, 2025 | Pope Leo XIV is embarking on his first trip abroad, which will take him to Turkey and Lebanon from November 27 to December 2 – where he aims to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, had planned to visit both countries but was unable to go because of his worsening health. Turkey and Lebanon are majority Muslim countries – and Francis put a strong focus on Muslim-Catholic dialogue during his twelve-year pontificate. But foreign travels are also an opportunity for the Vatican to conduct international diplomacy. So, what can we expect from Leo's visit to Turkey?

Our Favourite Ina Garten Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Videos | Barefoot Contessa | Food Network

Nov 5, 2023 | From roast turkey with truffle butter to herb-roasted turkey breast, these are our favourite Ina Garten Thanksgiving turkey recipe videos!

Thousands in Greece and Turkey Evacuate as Winds and Heat Fan Wildfires

THE GUARDIAN: Czech firefighters and Italian aircraft join rescue effort in Greece, and firefighter among those killed in Turkey

Thousands of people in Greece and Turkey have been forced to evacuate homes as firefighters in the countries battled to contain wildfires fanned by strong winds and searing heat.

As temperatures in south-eastern Europe exceeded 40C for a seventh straight day, the Greek prime minister praised rescue workers for waging “a titanic battle” to bring blazes under control.

“The state mechanism has been called to engage in a titanic battle, simultaneously responding to dozens of wildfires across the country,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement. “To those who saw their properties destroyed by the fury of fire, know that the state will stand by your side.”

Eleven regions of Greece face a “very high risk” of fire, and the government has appealed for help from EU partners to help it deal with fires burning on multiple fronts. » | Helena Smith in Athens | Sunday, July 27, 2025

Clashes and Arrests in Turkey over Magazine Cartoon Allegedly Depicting Prophet Muhammad

THE GUARDIAN: Turkey police face demonstrators after prosecutor orders arrests at LeMan magazine, whose editor-in-chief denies allegation and says image has been deliberately misinterpreted

Clashes erupted in Istanbul with police firing rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a mob on Monday after allegations that a satirical magazine had published a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad.

The clashes occurred after Istanbul’s chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the editors at LeMan magazine on grounds it had published a cartoon that “publicly insulted religious values”.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Tuncay Akgun, said the image had been misinterpreted.

“This cartoon is not a caricature of prophet Muhammad in any way,” he told Agence France-Presse. “In this work, the name of a Muslim who was killed in the bombardments of Israel is fictionalised as Muhammad. More than 200 million people in the Islamic world are named Muhammad.

“[It] has nothing to do with prophet Muhammad. We would never take such a risk.”

As the news broke, several dozen angry protesters attacked a bar often frequented by LeMan staffers in downtown Istanbul, provoking angry scuffles with police, an AFP correspondent said.

The scuffles quickly became clashes involving between 250 to 300 people, the correspondent said. » | Agence France-Presse in Istanbul | Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Wildfires Burn in Turkey and as Early Heatwave Hits Europe | DW News

June 30, 2025 | Wildfires across Turkey, fanned by strong winds, have spread to residential areas in the western province of Izmir and elsewhere. Recent years have seen Turkey's coastal areas ravaged by wildfires, as summers become hotter and drier. Countries across southern Europe are sweltering under soaring temperatures. Authorities in Italy and France have issued health and wildfire warnings, while Spain and Portugal saw weekend temperatures hit 46° Celsius.

With Erdogan Rival Detained, Critics See Democracy Eroding in Turkey

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Opponents say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan manipulates the courts and the media to tighten his grip on power, and now is trying to prevent a top contender from running for president.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan entered this year facing a knot of political problems with little precedent in his two decades at the summit of power in Turkey.

Voters were angry about persistently high inflation. His political party’s popularity had sunk. And his opponents had coalesced around the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who made it clear that he was gunning for the presidency.

Then on Wednesday, just four days before the mayor was set to be designated as the political opposition’s presidential candidate, dozens of policemen arrested him at his home on accusations of corruption and terrorism.

Mr. Erdogan’s foes consider the arrest a ploy to abort Mr. Imamoglu’s presidential campaign before it even begins. At stake is not only who will be Turkey’s next president, analysts, opposition leaders and foreign officials say, but to what extent Turkey, one of the world’s 20 largest economies and a U.S. ally in NATO, can still be considered a democracy. » | Ben Hubbard and Safak Timur | Reporting from Istanbul | Saturday, March 22, 2025

Related material in English and French here.

Turkey Detains President Erdogan’s Main Rival Days before Becoming Candidate | BBC News

May 19, 2025 | Turkish authorities have detained the mayor of Istanbul, just days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate.

Ekrem Imamoglu, from the secular Republican People's Party (CHP), is seen as one of Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan's strongest political rivals.

Prosecutors accused him of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, calling him a "criminal organisation leader suspect".

Imamoglu said online "the will of the people cannot be silenced".


Vidéo connexe ici.

Dozens Dead as People Jump from Windows to Escape Fire at Turkish Ski Resort Hotel

THE GUARDIAN: Witnesses say people used bed sheets or jumped to try to get out of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel after fire broke out early in the morning

Seventy-six people have died and 51 others were injured after a fire engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains, forcing guests to jump out of windows or attempt to use bed sheets to flee the building.

The fire broke out at about 3.30am on Tuesday in the restaurant of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, north-west Turkey.

“We are in deep pain,” Turkey’s interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, told reporters after inspecting the site.

Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people had been injured. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome, and agencies | Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Süleyman the Magnificent, 1987 | From the Vaults | The Met

Jul 31, 2020 | Süleyman (or Süleiman) the Magnificent was the longest-reigning emperor of the Ottoman empire. Known for his military campaigns spanning three continents, as well as his religious tolerance and masterful diplomacy, he was also a poet, goldsmith, and dedicated patron of the arts.

His rule brought a golden age of artistic and literary production to the Ottoman empire, exemplified by richly patterned textiles, pottery, calligraphy, and several monumental buildings by the architect Sinan.

Shot on location in Istanbul, Edirne, and the Turkish countryside.
Narrated by Ian McKellan.

Controversial Turkish Cleric Fethullah Gulen Dies Aged 83 | DW News

Oct 21, 2024 | The Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen has died aged 83. Ankara accused him of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016 in which around 250 people were killed. Gulen always denied any involvement. He was a former close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a major falling-out, and had lived in the United States since 1999. The Turkish government has confirmed his death.

NYT:

Fethullah Gulen, Turkish Cleric and Erdogan Rival, Dies at 83: Mr. Gulen, who lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, was accused of plotting a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in 2016. »

Turkey Parliament Descends into Chaos as Dozens of MPs Take Part in Fistfight

THE GUARDIAN: Staff were left cleaning bloodstains from the floor after brawl which started when one MP called the ruling majority ‘terrorists’

Dozens of lawmakers became embroiled in a fisticuffs brawl in Turkey’s parliament on Friday as they argued over a jailed opposition deputy stripped of his parliamentary immunity this year.

The 30-minute ruckus, which left at least two lawmakers injured, forced the suspension of the hearing. Deputies eventually returned for a vote that rejected an opposition move to restore the parliamentary mandate of lawyer and rights activist Can Atalay.

Atalay won his seat in an election last year after campaigning from his prison cell. » | Agence France-Presse | Saturday, August 17, 2024

Queer Life under Erdogan | DW Documentary

Jul 10, 2024 | Today, Pembe Özkan lives in Turkey. Before that she’d lived almost her entire life in Germany, where she came out and married a woman.

After divorcing her wife, Pembe returned to her home country. Now, she lives in İzmir, known as the most liberal-minded city in Turkey. That has made it something of a magnet for gay men and women, trans people and anyone else who wishes to pursue a lifestyle different from the one Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan envisions for Turkey’s people. We meet up with Pembe, who now has to brave the repressive atmosphere in Turkey. A report by Almut Röhrl.

Activists Defy Ban to Stage Annual Pride March | DW News

Jun 29, 2024 | Millions will march in pride parades in many cities this weekend in countries around the world. But not in Turkey, where over the past decade, Pride marches have been banned. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has villified gay and trans people, and now many in the LGBTQ community fear things could get even worse. DW's Julia Hahn reports, and for more background we speak to Milena Büyüm of Amnesty International.

Our Favorite Ina Garten Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Videos | Barefoot Contessa | Food Network

Nov 5, 2023 | From roast turkey with truffle butter to herb-roasted turkey breast, these are our favorite Ina Garten Thanksgiving turkey recipe videos!

Ina throws open the doors of her Hamptons home for delicious food, dazzling entertaining ideas and good fun on Barefoot Contessa.

Is Erdogan Killing Turkey's Storied Winemaking Tradition | Focus on Europe | DW News

Nov 5, 2023 | Turkey's President Erdogan is making things hard for winemakers and brewers by imposing alcohol taxes that have risen by 1,550 percent since 2011. For Seniz Saç winemaking is a millennia-old cultural tradition.

Leftover Turkey Curry | Cooking with Zahra

Oct 4, 2023

Turkey Hits Suspected Kurdish Targets in Iraq after Ankara Blast I DW News

Oct 2, 2023 | Turkish war planes have struck suspected Kurdish targets in Iraq in response to a suicide bombing in the capital Ankara. The defense ministry says its jets destroyed 20 targets of the PKK Kurdish separatist group in northern Iraq.

Earlier, the PKK said it carried out a suicide bomb attack outside the Turkish interior ministry. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said terrorists would never achieve their aims. Viewers may find some of the images in this report disturbing.

This video is age-restricted, so it is available only on YouTube. Please click here to view it.
Related video here.

Suicide Bomber Detonates Device in Turkish Capital | DW News

Oct 1, 2023

Turkey: Two officers injured in blast outside interior ministry: An explosion outside Turkey's interior ministry in the capital Ankara was a "terrorist attack", the interior minister has said. »

Turkey’s Erdogan Says He Trusts Russia ‘Just as Much as I Trust the West’

Sep 19, 2023 | The nation of Turkey sits at a crossroads of the world, and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is its preeminent leader. Reelected to office earlier in 2023, he has now been in power for 22 years. In an exclusive interview with Amna Nawaz, Erdogan discusses the state of NATO, Russia’s war on Ukraine and why Turkey might soon end its bid to become a part of the European Union.