Landmark Hagia Sophia restoration clears key milestone
Comprehensive survey, restitution and restoration projects were prepared for Hagia Sophia following structural analyses.
The most extensive republic-era restoration of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is nearing its final stage, with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy confirming three of the four phases are successfully completed after touring the site.
Ersoy said the second stage, involving sensitive work on the minarets, main dome, semi-domes and mosaics, was continuing. He said the government was carrying out extensive efforts to protect cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations.
“The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the symbol of the conquest and Fatih’s trust, is one of them,” Ersoy said, referring to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, known as Fatih Sultan Mehmet.
