Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy spoke about the earthquake zone and Hagia Sophia restoration

PINAR AKTAŞ / KAHRAMANMARAŞ - Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy spoke at the meeting held at Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the participation of governors, MPs and mayors of the earthquake zone provinces. Describing the work in 11 provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes, Ersoy said, "We have used a total of more than 12 billion 265 million resources so far for the restoration projects and applications of buildings allocated to our Ministry. We have completed 79 works for real estate in 11 provinces in the earthquake zone. Our work continues on 17 works."

It will reach 34 billion lira

Emphasizing that more than half of the total workload in the restoration and revival program has been completed, Ersoy noted that 58 more works are planned to be completed by the end of 2026 and 110 more in 2027. Ersoy stated that 24 billion lira of work has been carried out in the earthquake zone so far, and that the total investment will reach 34 billion lira with the completion of the projects.

Answering the questions of members of the press, Ersoy shared the following information about the restoration of Hagia Sophia Mosque:

Extensive restoration

"We are carrying out the most comprehensive restoration, conservation and strengthening works in the history of the Republic in order to transfer the building safely to future generations. The holistic projects of Hagia Sophia have been completed; the restorations of the mausoleums, Primary School, Muvakkithane and the gallery floor have been completed. The static strengthening of the northeast minaret has also been completed. Today, structural strengthening and mosaic conservation continues in the main dome, which is the most important phase of the works. Along with the strengthening of the load-bearing system in the eastern half dome, mosaics, hand-carved and marble works have been completed. "We are moving to a new phase for the conservation of surfaces."

'Extends up to 9 km'

Reminding that there is a very large underground passages and tunnel system under Hagia Sophia, Ersoy said, "There are sections extending up to approximately 9 kilometers. However, after a certain point, there are collapses and areas that prevent passage. We are currently continuing the cleaning and restoration work in the accessible sections. Once the work is completed, we can consider opening the suitable and safe sections to visitors."