Hagia Sophia under special protection. This monument is to survive, despite the elements

The next stage of the renovation of one of the most famous buildings of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, has begun. The historic central dome and semi -acorn are to be strengthened to protect them against the threat associated with earthquakes – the AP agency said on Sunday.

AP reminds that in 2023 an earthquake with a magnitude 7.8 hit the southern part of Turkey, killing over 53 thousand. people and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings. Istanbul did not suffer at the time, but the fears of the possibility of a similar disaster in the future intensified.

Construction engineer Mehmet Selim Okten, who sits on the Council of Scientists supervising renovation work, said that they have been going on for three years and will now focus on securing the monument against the effects of possible earthquakes.

“A tower crane will be installed on the eastern facade, and then we will cover the upper part of this unique building with a protective framework system. In this way we will be able to work safer and examine the layers of the building scientifically, including damage caused by fires and earthquakes in the 10th and 14th centuries” – said Okten.

The engineer said that it is not known when the work would end, but assured that the renovation would be carried out in a transparent manner. No renovation costs were given. Güryapı Restoration Contracting Company, which won the tender for some of the works, was estimated by 218.5 million lire ($ 7.2 million).

Hagia Sophia, as the Basilica of God's Wisdom, was founded by Emperor Justinian the Great and completed in 537 for the next 900 years was the greatest Christian cathedral in the world. After the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, the temple was transformed into a mosque, changing its decor and building minarets.

The status of the building changed again after the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I – in 1934 Hagia Sophia became a museum. In 2020, by virtue, the monument was again transformed into a mosque (PAP)

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