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Türkiye has launched one of the most ambitious restoration projects in decades at the Hagia Sophia, aiming to reinforce its iconic dome against structural risks in a region prone to earthquakes.
The work, which began this week, will focus on addressing weak points identified during recent seismic simulations, experts said on Monday. The project follows over a decade of restoration efforts across other parts of the 1,486-year-old monument.
Originally constructed as the largest cathedral of the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia stood as the world’s largest church for nearly 900 years before its conversion into a mosque in 1453 under Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. In 1934, Türkiye’s secular republic turned the site into a museum, but it was reconverted into a mosque by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2020.
“It is truly a structure full of surprises,” said Byzantine art historian Asnu Bilban Yalçın. “You plan for one thing, but once you open up the structure, new needs emerge.”
The dome will be carefully covered before its existing lead layer is removed, explained Ahmet Güleç, a specialist in cultural property conservation. The team will then begin structural reinforcement based on prior modelling of earthquake scenarios.
Hasan Fırat Diker, a professor at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, said the full extent of damage or risk may only become clear once the cover is lifted.
Despite the complexity of the task, the site will remain open for both worship and tourism throughout the project — a factor that complicates the work further.
Officials have not given a timeline for completion, citing possible delays from weather or unexpected restoration needs.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 18th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Thai police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Cambodian civilians in a disputed border area on Wednesday, authorities in both countries said. It's the most significant escalation since they declared a ceasefire to end a deadly five-day conflict in July.
Cuba has called for the United Nations to stop the United States from starting a war in the region, amid rising tensions due to a military build-up in the Caribbean to counter drug cartels.
Denmark did not invite the U.S. military to take part in Arctic Light 2025, the largest military exercise in Greenland's modern history, as NATO allies step up defence cooperation in the Arctic amid U.S. interest in the island.
NATO has strengthened its security to safeguard undersea infrastructure, since a suspected sabotage in January this year in the Baltic Sea. The alliance now deploys air and naval patrols, and warns that attacks will not go unpunished.
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