Türkiye marks Hagia Sophia anniversary as major restoration advances

Turkish leaders on Friday marked the sixth anniversary of the reopening of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia as a mosque with commemorative messages, while authorities announced a new phase in the landmark’s ongoing restoration.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Hagia Sophia had regained its “original identity” six years ago after an 86-year hiatus.

“Hagia Sophia regained its original identity six years ago today after 86 years of longing,” Erdoğan said in a social media post. “God willing, this blessed place of worship will continue to fill our skies with the call to prayer forever. May the revival of Hagia Sophia be blessed.”

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş described the reopening as “not only the restoration of a place of worship but also a powerful expression of embracing our history and civilization.”

In a separate social media post, Kurtulmuş called Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque “one of the strongest symbols of a nation’s will engraved in history and its loyalty to a centuries-old trust.”

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also commemorated the anniversary, saying the reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship would continue to frustrate what he described as domestic and foreign opponents.

Erdoğan’s foreword

Erdoğan also wrote the foreword to a newly published trilingual collection on Hagia Sophia, released Friday by Demirören Publishing in Turkish, English and Arabic.

In the foreword, Erdoğan said he believed Hagia Sophia would continue to illuminate humanity’s shared conscience and cultural memory beyond serving as a place of worship.

“Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, which filled the skies with the call to prayer for centuries and left an eternal echo in hearts, regained its original identity through the will of the nation on July 24, 2020, in keeping with the spirit of the conquest,” he wrote.

Erdoğan described Hagia Sophia as not only a place of worship but also “a monumental symbol of the nation’s historical consciousness, civilizational vision, strength of faith and the spirit of the conquest.”

The publication, titled “The Seal of the Conquest: Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque,” presents the site’s architectural, cultural and spiritual heritage through photographs and visual documentation.

Restoration enters new phase

Separately on Friday, the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Foundations said the most extensive conservation, restoration and structural reinforcement project in the monument’s Republican-era history has entered a new stage.

Authorities have begun covering the temporary steel roof erected above the main dome with a high-security protective membrane to allow restoration work to continue safely.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the project is being carried out under the guidance of a scientific advisory board to protect the historic structure from weather conditions while preserving its original fabric.

“The mosaics are being secured, and all work is being carried out with great care without damaging the original structure,” Ersoy said in a social media statement marking the anniversary.

He said Türkiye remained committed to preserving Hagia Sophia through scientific conservation methods and passing it on to future generations.

“Hagia Sophia, one of the most valuable legacies of our civilization, will continue to live forever with the call to prayer, with prayers and with all its magnificence,” Ersoy said.

Authorities said comprehensive technical analyses concluded that the main dome requires structural reinforcement.

To carry out repairs to the dome’s lead covering and implement reinforcement measures, the existing lead panels will be removed for restoration or replacement. At the same time, conservation, restoration and strengthening work will be carried out on the interior mosaics.

Because the lead covering must be removed, officials decided to temporarily shield the dome with a steel structure and a protective membrane to prevent weather damage and protect the mosaics during construction.

The gray protective covering, selected to blend with the dome’s appearance, was chosen by a scientific advisory board of academics and conservation specialists following technical evaluations. It is made from flame-retardant material that meets high fire safety standards.

Engineers also completed structural calculations to ensure the temporary roof could withstand its weight and wind loads without affecting the monument.

Officials said the temporary protection system was carefully designed to avoid damaging the building’s historic fabric while allowing restoration work to proceed safely on both the interior and exterior of the dome.

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque will remain open to worshippers and visitors throughout the restoration project.

Originally built as a church, Hagia Sophia served as a Christian place of worship for 916 years before being converted into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It became a museum under a 1934 Cabinet decree.

On July 10, 2020, Türkiye’s Council of State annulled the 1934 decree that had converted Hagia Sophia into a museum. Erdoğan signed a presidential decree the same day transferring the site to the Presidency of Religious Affairs and reopening it for Muslim worship.

The first Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia in 86 years were held on July 24, 2020, with Erdoğan among those attending.

DAILYSABAH