The earthquake can destroy Hagia Sophia. Engineers fight against time

Engineers and cultural heritage experts are working on strengthening the sensitive construction points of the Hagia Sophia mosque, and also use advanced earthquake simulations to better prepare the temple – wrote the daily Daily Sabah on Friday.

“Hagia Sophia is like a patient whose condition becomes more complex with age,” said Daily Sabah, architect Hasan Firat Diker, a professor of architecture at the University of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif in Istanbul.

Diker is a member of the Hagia Sophia Scientific Committee – a multidisciplinary team managing the most comprehensive renovation of the structure in the last hundred years. The committee aims to strengthen the building before future threats, while respecting its architectural heritage.

“Hagia Sophia is the heart of Istanbul,” Diker emphasized, adding that “her durability can be attributed to the efforts of every power – from Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire and the era of the Turkish Republic.” The building at various periods of history was the cathedral, museum and mosque. Currently, it undergoes the most extensive renovation since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.

“Initially, the work focused on the structures surrounding it from the time of the Ottoman Empire, but now the attention focused on the main building,” said the Turkish daily.

The earthquake in Istanbul remains the main threat.

“During the quake, two semi -coats built to maintain the main dome can begin to sway. This movement can cause a blow that threatens to damage the main dome of the temple,” explained Diker.

Engineers strengthen the connection points between the central dome and semi -coil to reduce this threat. “Although Hagia Sophia has structural weaknesses, we are not able to rebuild it from scratch. Instead, our goal is to intervene using the most appropriate methods for her current state and extend her life,” said the expert.

Each phase of the renovation project is shaped by disaster scenarios, including a large magnitude earthquake. Simulations are not new – engineers lead them from the earthquake in 1999 – explained the interlocutor “Daily Sabah”. He added, however, that thanks to the progress of technology, the current models are more realistic and allow better preparation for a threat to shocks.

The tragic earthquake in the south of Turkey in 2023 mobilized the authorities of Istanbul – about a 16 million metropolis – and central authorities to prepare for an earthquake, which geologists have been warning for years. In the opinion of experts, strong shocks in the metropolis could consume up to 100,000. victims. The city authorities intensified preparatory work and control of the most endangered facilities.

Jakub Bawołek (PAP)

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