Advanced efforts are currently underway in Istanbul to protect the famous Hagia Sophia mosque from the devastating effects of earthquakes. Experts specialising in heritage protection and structural engineering are painstakingly analysing the structure of the temple using digital seismic simulations. Their aim is to identify weak points that could pose a potential threat to the statics of the priceless building in the future and to prevent possible damage.
The work uses the latest technology to analyse the loads and strength of building materials. A team of specialists is developing precise safeguarding strategies to protect the historic building. The need to reinforce the temple is due to the seismic activity of the Marmara Sea region and the threat of a strong earthquake expected in the future, which could severely damage this structure that is more than a thousand years old.
Hagia Sophia a temple of many eras
The Hagia Sophia is located in the European part of Istanbul. It is widely recognised as one of the most important works of architecture in the Byzantine world. The present church, dedicated to the Divine Wisdom, was built between 532 and 537 by order of Emperor Justinian I and initially served as the main Christian temple of the Byzantine Empire. Throughout its history, it was the site of the coronation of emperors and the focal point of the religious and political life of Constantinople. After the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. Numerous changes were then made to the design and massing, including the addition of minarets and covering up some of the Christian mosaics. In the 16th century, the architect Mimar Sinan designed the reinforcement of the dome structure and added other elements to increase the stability of the building.
Church, mosque, museum and back
In 1934, the government of the Turkish Republic decided to turn the Hagia Sophia into a museum, which involved, among other things, the removal of Islamic carpets and plaster covering the Byzantine mosaics. The temple was then open to visitors regardless of their religion. The decision to open a museum in the country’s most important temple was meant to emphasise the secularism of Turkey at the time and was considered a gesture of reconciliation between religions. In 2020, following a decision by a Turkish court and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the building became a mosque again. Since 2024, access for tourists has only been possible to the gallery on the first floor and involves a fee. The ground floor, on the other hand, is dedicated exclusively to religious use for followers of Islam, making the Hagia Sophia the only mosque in the city that charges a visitor fee.
Hagia Sophia destroyed and rebuilt
The history of Hagia Sophia is also a story of successive destruction and rebuilding. The first church from the 4th century fell victim to fires and natural disasters several times. The greatest damage was caused by the riots of 532 and the earthquakes of 558 and 989. After each cataclysm, however, the temple was stubbornly reconstructed. The largest restoration of the building since the founding of the Turkish Republic, more than a century, is currently underway.
Protecting monuments, homes and people
The catastrophic earthquake that struck southern Turkey in 2023 prompted the authorities in Istanbul, with a population of 16 million, to take measures to prepare for similar possible shocks, which are inevitable in such a seismically active region of the world. According to experts, a strong earthquake in the Bosphorus region could now lead to up to 100,000 deaths. The authorities have therefore accelerated the city’s preparedness work and started intensive inspection of the most vulnerable buildings.
Source: tvn24.pl, wszystkoconajważniejsze.pl
Read also: Architecture | Interesting facts | History | Sacred architecture | Turkey
