‘No free entry’: Tourists to pay visiting fee for Hagia Sophia

According to the new rules, foreigners will pay $27 for visiting the historic mosque from Jan.15

In a new development, foreigners will have to pay an entrance fee of $27 when visiting the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia as of Jan.15, said the Turkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

According to the ministry’s statement, a ticket office, located opposite the Fountain Sultan Ahmed III on the gallery floor, will be set up to facilitate the visitors.

There will be separate entrances for worshippers and cultural visitors under the visitor management plan so that the worshippers are not disturbed by the tourists visiting the mosque. The plan will also prevent long queues of those waiting at the mosque’s entrance.

Cleaning and conservation work on the marble coverings and wooden railings on the gallery floor of the mosque is carried out with the approval and consultancy of a scientific committee, the statement read.

As per the visitor’s plan devised by the ministry, the visitors will enter through a ramp on the south side of the mosque that takes them to the gallery. They will exit the mosque through a northeast ramp.

Moreover, visitors will now be able to get information in 23 languages without disturbing the worshipers with headphones while accessing the QR code on their phones.

Source: Newsroom & Anadolu Agency