Istanbul: There is no stranger to change the Hagiya Sophia of Istanbul – through centuries the Museums of the city’s architectural jewel church to the museum, have gone back to the mosque again.
But the aim of the latest renewal is not only to restore the miracles of the gem of 1,488-year, but also to ensure that it survives the next earthquake to hit the ancient city.
From a distance, its domes, shimmering rocks and delicate towers are seen on the Istanbul, as they have for centuries.
As visitors come closer, they see scaffolding covering one of their eastern masks and towers.
While “renovation of renewal slightly breaks the atmosphere of appearance from outside” and “takes away the beauty of the scaffold monument … renewal is a necessity,” Abdullah Yilmaz, a guide.
Hagia Sophia, a World Heritage Site and Turki’s most viewed landmarks, “are frequent problems”, Hasan Firat Dicker, an architecture professor who is working on restoration, said, AFP,
This is why it has gone through several pieces of reconstruction for centuries, he said.
‘Global’ Makeover
The current meakover is the first time the site undergoes “global restoration”, including domes, walls and minarets, he said.
When it was first completed in 537 AD, at the same place where the previous churches were standing, Hagia Sophia came to be known as a bright example of the architecture of the Byzantin Empire, who ruled the city known as Constantinopal at that time.
It served as a church until the collapse of the city in 1453, when it became a mosque.
In 1935, modern Turkish founder Mustafa Ataturk, who, a secularly remembered the country, turned the building into a museum.
It remained until 2020, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a practice Muslim who came to power on the head of an Islamist party, returned it to a mosque.
Next big earthquake
Like the residents of this historic city, Hagia Sophia has not only struggled with the craze of its rulers – it is constantly facing danger from the earthquake, which has regularly killed the metropolis, which is the last prominent in 1999.
Like many buildings in the city of 16 million, which is just kilometer from an active seismic mistake line, Hagia Sophia does not meet the construction of earthquake standards.
Its dome collapsed in an earthquake in 558 and the building was damaged in other earthquakes, colliding with the city.
A member of the Scientific Committee, “strengthening the building against the next major earthquake” so that the ancient structure “survives this phenomenon with minimal damage,” is the main goal of restoration.
Digaker said that at this time experts are studying the dome to determine how the best is to strengthen and restore both.
The interior is now free from any scaffolding. But eventually four giant columns will be raised inside to support a platform from where experts will restore the pictures and mosaics of the dome.
“Once you are inside … it’s perfect,” Ana Delgado, a 49 -year -old tourist from Mexico, filled the building after a 49 -year -old tourist in the form of laughter, conversation and agitation.
“It’s magic,” took a pinch in his friend, Alias Erduran from the Republic of Dominican.
Millions of visitors
Hagia Sophia saw 7.7 million visitors through her huge interior last year.
About 2.1 million of them are foreign tourists, many of which pay 25 euros for an entry ticket, which produce millions of euros annually.
Officials hope that the pillars inside will not prevent visitors from coming during work, which is expected to last for many years. Officials have not stated how much renewal costs.
“The purpose is that travels and prayers continue” during the actions, Gulek said.
Yana Galitskaya, a 35 -year -old visit to Russia, said, “Even if some visitors are not seen in all their glory, it is important that one day my children will be able to praise St. Sofia.”
