The restoration, conservation and strengthening works carried out in order to protect the Hagia Sophia Mosque, one of the most precious works of the world cultural heritage, and to transfer it safely to future generations are being carried out meticulously.
In the most comprehensive restoration project in the history of the Republic, carried out by the General Directorate of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in line with the decisions and inspections of the Scientific Committee and the Preservation Board, while the works in the main dome continue, a new work process is started in the eastern half dome.
Mosaic conservation continues on the steel platform established for the main dome. In the established working scaffolding, mosaic surfaces called "facing" are temporarily supported with cloth to clean dust and protect the mosaic surfaces.
While the temporary steel roof installation on the main dome is completed, efforts to open the lead coatings in a controlled manner continue.
THE NEED FOR STRENGTHENING WAS DETECTED IN THE EASTERN HALF DOME
In the modeling and static analyzes carried out by experts, it was determined that the eastern half dome needed to be strengthened. Along with structural strengthening applications, conservation work will be carried out on the mosaic and hand-carved decorations on the inner surface of the half dome.
Cleaning, conservation and repair applications will also be carried out on the marble surfaces on the eastern mihrab wall. In order to carry out the work in a safe and controlled manner, the installation of the steel working platform that will provide access to the inner surface of the eastern half dome will begin.
THE ORIGINAL GROUND WILL BE PROTECTED WITH A MULTI-LAYER SYSTEM
Before the platform installation, the boundaries of the work area will be created and specially printed tarpaulins will be prepared to protect the visual integrity of the building in the interior. A temporary altar and pulpit will be placed to continue the worship order.
Historical architectural elements, especially the original mihrab and pulpit in the study area, will be secured with physical protection systems. Wooden benches and marble floors at limited points required by platform manufacturing will be dismantled in a controlled and partial manner under the supervision of expert restorers. The dismantling of the chandeliers in the region will be carried out with the same sensitivity.
A multi-layer raised floor system will be created to protect the original marble floors from load and wear.
Before the platform installation, ground loading and vibration tests will be performed to check the safety of the application with scientific data.
After all preparations are completed, the main platform system will be established in line with the project approved by the Scientific Committee and the Conservation Board.
The transportation and assembly process of platform materials will be carried out with appropriate work equipment, taking into account the protection measures for the historical texture.
COMPREHENSIVE APPLICATION FROM MOSAICS TO MARBLE SURFACES
After the completion of the steel platform, the second phase will begin.
Additional steel systems for working scaffolding and restoration applications will be installed on the platform, which will provide safe access to the eastern half dome level.
In order to preserve the internal aesthetics of the building, specially printed tarpaulins bearing visuals of the facade and dome will be applied to the work areas. Once the preparations are completed, structural strengthening works in the eastern half dome and conservation applications on mosaic, hand-carved and marble surfaces will begin.
In this context, the carrier system of the half dome will be strengthened, the marble surfaces will be cleaned and repaired, unsuitable concrete marble exteriors will be removed from the structure, and the mosaics will be documented in detail and taken into conservation work.
Thanks to the platform to be established, restoration practices will be carried out in a safe working area, while the flow of worship and visits will continue within the temporary order that will be created.
MINISTER ERSOY: “WE ARE GOING TO A NEW STAGE IN THE EASTERN HALF DOME”
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in his post on his social media account, stated that the works in Hagia Sophia are progressing in line with the planned schedule.
Explaining that while the strengthening and conservation practices in the main dome continue, a new phase will be started in the eastern half dome, Ersoy said:
“We are starting the installation of the steel work platform that will provide access to the eastern half dome in order to safely carry out conservation and structural strengthening applications on mosaic, hand-carved and marble surfaces.
The flow of worship and visits will continue with the necessary temporary arrangements throughout the work that will progress under the supervision of our Scientific Committee and Conservation Board.
"We take every step with scientific precision and preserve this unique work of world cultural heritage with its original texture."
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE MEMBERS EVALUATED THE STUDIES
Members of the Hagia Sophia Mosque Scientific Committee also made evaluations about the strengthening, restoration and conservation works carried out in the building.
Member of the Scientific Committee, Civil Engineer Assoc. Dr. Mehmet Selim Ökten stated that, in line with the analysis, it was deemed necessary to strengthen the main dome together with the half domes and said:
“According to the results obtained as a result of numerical modeling and analysis, it was deemed necessary to strengthen the main dome together with the half domes. "In order to carry out these operations and restoration interventions safely and properly, the mentioned scaffolding system was planned and a membrane-coated protective dome system was installed."
Member of the Scientific Committee, Art Historian Prof. Dr. Asnü Bilban Yalçın made the following evaluations regarding the repairs that Hagia Sophia has undergone throughout history and the importance of the work carried out:
“With its age of 1,500 years, Hagia Sophia has encountered static problems since the date it was built, and for this reason, it has undergone repairs in both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The structure of the building, which is extremely bold compared to both its own and the later period, is very sensitive and requires resistance against natural disasters such as earthquakes. These comprehensive restoration works aim to strengthen the building in a static sense, in the light of modern knowledge and technologies. With these works, which are a first both in our long history and in the history of our Republic, it is planned to strengthen the dome, semi-dome and exedra. "For these works, it was necessary to establish scaffolding on the exterior and interior, so that some points of the structure that are still unknown today can be understood and the necessary precautions can be taken."
Member of the Scientific Committee, Architect Prof. Dr. Hasan Fırat Diker stated that the previous decoration layers will also be investigated within the scope of the restoration and conservation works in the eastern half dome and said:
“As part of the restoration and conservation of the eastern half dome decorations, the layers before the current decoration will also be investigated. The presence of the verse written in the Classical Ottoman period, whose existence before 1847 we know from historical visual data, will be questioned on the surface of the semi-dome, whose existing decorations were made during the 1847-49 Fossati repairs. "If the existence of this verse is detected after the scraping work, a very important layer of the mosque appearance of Hagia Sophia in the Classical Ottoman period can be reintroduced to the world cultural inventory."
Member of the Scientific Committee, Materials Scientist/Chemist Prof. Dr. Ahmet Güleç also pointed out the contribution of the platform and scaffolding system to the preservation of the mosaics and core inscription in the dome and said:
“The scaffolding / platform, which was manufactured to protect the dome from external factors during the static work to be carried out on the main dome of Hagia Sophia Mosque, also ensures the protection of the mosaic and core inscription inside the dome. With the additional scaffolding built on the platform, the entire inner surface of the dome was reached and the necessary checks, cleaning and protection works on the mosaic surfaces were started.
When the lead cover of the main dome was removed, just like on the facades of Hagia Sophia, mortar, plaster, etc. Samples of building materials will be taken and analyzed, and the contents of the mortars and plasters to be used in the protection application will be determined.
Thus, while Hagia Sophia will be strengthened statically, both the building materials and the decoration elements inside the dome will be made healthy.”
Member of the Scientific Committee, Architect Prof. Dr. Can Şakir Binan emphasized that the work in Hagia Sophia should be carried out in line with basic conservation principles and made the following evaluations:
"Hagia Sophia is one of the most important monuments of the collective memory of not only Turkey but also of humanity, bearing the traces of its nearly fifteen hundred years of history on the same structure. Therefore, the preservation of Hagia Sophia is a process that requires extraordinary attention and responsibility, unlike the restoration of any building. The basic approach required by the UNESCO World Heritage status is to preserve the originality and integrity of the building, its historical layers from different periods and its original materials, and transfer them to future generations. Ensuring structural safety is of course a priority; however, this requirement is a priority." It should be considered together with the preservation of all the values that make Hagia Sophia, from mosaics to hand-carved works, from marble coatings to traces of historical restoration. Therefore, our basic conservation principles are that every intervention should be based on scientific research and detailed documentation, that the original material should be preserved in situ as much as possible, and that the historical layers of the building should be evaluated without prioritizing each other. Our goal here is not to return Hagia Sophia to a certain period; and to carry it to the future by preserving it in its entirety, because what we preserve in Hagia Sophia is not just a great work of architecture, but the common cultural heritage of humanity.”
