TURKEY-RELIGION-CHRISTIANITY-ISLAM

People queue up to take a vow at the Our Lady of Vefa church in Istanbul, on October 1, 2024. The line outside Istanbul’s Our Lady of Vefa church stretches more than 200 metres, the crowd a mix of Christians and Muslims chatting animatedly as they wait to make a wish inside this Greek Orthodox sanctuary. It’s a scene which plays out on the first day of every month at this ancient house of worship which is hidden behind a high wall topped with a metal fence and known in Turkish as “the first-of-the-month church”. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)