The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has launched a restoration plan for Hagia Sophia: work began on 9 September and, according to experts, could last for half a century on this spectacular monument, an icon of ancient Constantinople (current Istanbul) with 1,500 years of history. It is important to note, however, that neither visits nor worship – since the site reopened as a mosque in 2020 – will be interrupted.
Ministry officials say the restoration is aimed at renewing the structure of the monumental building, which has accumulated centuries of wear and tear, and also at strengthening it against earthquakes. To carry out the work, an exact digital replica of Hagia Sophia has been created in order to study the most intricate details of the building and analyse the work to be done; according to the Turkish press, “some problems” are also being analysed with the minarets added after the Ottoman conquest of the city, with no further details about those “problems” shared; also, partial dismantling of some of them for subsequent reconstruction – as already happened in the neighbouring Blue Mosque – is not ruled out.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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