Istanbul's Hagia Sophia is a world-renowned attraction, and rightly so. Incredibly beautiful and filled with dazzling chandeliers, the former church-turned-mosque is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Entry to tourists used to be free, with access open for travellers to explore both its ground and first floors. But since January, non-Turkish visitors can only access Hagia Sophia’s upper floor after paying a €25 fee and waiting in long lines.
While the marvel is worth the cost and the long wait to get inside, travellers prioritising saving time and money might want to visit some of the city's other memorable mosques instead, each of which has free entry and barely any winding queues.
Sultanahmet Mosque
Standing opposite Hagia Sophia in central Istanbul is an even more commanding mosque. The 400-year-old Sultanahmet, or Blue Mosque, cannot match the deep, intricate history of Hagia Sophia, which is about 1,500 years old.
But it is larger and more visually striking than its neighbour, and also offers free entry to tourists outside of prayer times. Six lofty minarets ring this colossal mosque, which is topped by a 43-metre-tall dome and a cluster of glimmering semi-domes.
Its nickname was inspired by the ocean hues splashed across its interior. This photogenic prayer hall is colourfully illuminated by more than 200 stained-glass windows, delicately woven carpets, and about 20,000 ceramic tiles featuring geometric and floral motifs.
Up to 10,000 worshippers can be accommodated within this hall and the mosque’s sprawling courtyard. During daily prayer times, when visitors aren’t permitted to enter, throngs of tourists gather in the adjoining, green expanse of Sultanahmet Park to picnic and take photos in front of the mosque’s grand facade.
Nuruosmaniye Mosque
Like an entire neighbourhood wedged under one gigantic roof, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar covers about 60 streets, hosts more than 4,000 businesses, is about 600 years old and attracts millions of tourists per year. Yet it doesn’t overshadow the adjacent Nuruosmaniye Mosque.
Rather, it funnels many foreign visitors into this sublime 18th-century complex, which is so impressive that it’s on the tentative list for Unesco World Heritage status. Behind its lofty stone fortifications is not just an Ottoman-era mosque, but also a library, tombs, soup kitchen, madrassa, and sebil fountain.
Visitors to its prayer hall can peer up and see, etched into its dome, a verse from the Quran that reads: “God is the light of the Heavens and the Earth.” This is tied to the name Nuruosmaniye, which means Light of Osman. That design feature was added during the mosque’s six-year construction, which began during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I in 1749.
Suleymaniye Mosque
The entire city of Istanbul seems to unfurl at the foot of Suleymaniye Mosque. There are few finer views of this metropolis than from the verdant garden of Suleymaniye, which is perched on top of a hill, providing vistas across the historic Fatih district and the Bosphorus Strait, to the more modern, northern half of Istanbul.
Yet Suleymaniye manages to compete with this outlook thanks to the grandeur of its design by Sinan, the revered chief architect of Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent, who commissioned this mosque in the 1550s.
Sinan used Hagia Sophia as a loose template for his masterwork. Almost 4,000 labourers and craftsmen toiled to create this mosque, which is crowned by a 53-metre dome and spiked by four minarets. Suleiman himself rests here inside an opulent tomb, which is a pilgrimage site for Turkish people.
Yeni Cami Mosque
Sitting below Suleymaniye, on the southern bank of the Bosphorus, is the similarly splendid Yeni Cami. Few of Istanbul’s mosques receive as many visitors as Yeni Cami, which owns a tourist-soaked spot, sandwiched between the city’s famous Galata Bridge and its teeming Egyptian Bazaar.
Also known as the New Mosque, its entrance is among the most photographed sites in Istanbul. From just inside the mosque’s main gate, visitors stare up at the pleasing symmetry of its dome-laden roof and skyscraping minarets. Commissioned in the 1590s, Yeni Cami wasn’t completed until 1665 due to a series of complications and mishaps. This wait was worthwhile, though, as it resulted in a memorable design, the highlight of which is an array of more than 20 domes.
Firuz Agha Mosque
Tourists who walk between Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar will likely pass the graceful Firuz Agha mosque. This Islamic house of worship was built in the 15th century on Divan Yolu Street, the main thoroughfare connecting those two aforementioned tourist magnets.
Firaz Agha is far smaller than Istanbul's other mosques listed in this story. Size is irrelevant in this case, however, as it cuts a sublime figure, with its single minaret standing above a central dome and three smaller domes, each of which correspond to a handsome arch beneath. Adding to its appeal is the adjoining Mehmet Akif Ersoy Park, a leafy space decorated by a fountain and statues.
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Barbie
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
