Turkey’s culture and tourism ministry is set to launch a restoration of the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (@MehmetNuriErsoy) wrote on April 14 in a tweet.

“We continue our restoration and reinforcement works at the 1,486-year-old Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque,” the minister adde.

“We have completed some of these works [in an earlier phase] and are carrying out the remaining sections carefully,” he added.

Video: The minister shared a video on X depicting the restoration plans for the dome.

In the new phase, the main dome will undergo the largest and most comprehensive restoration process in its history.

The restoration works will be carried out from the outer surface to avoid damaging the mosaics on the inner surface of the dome, while the dome will be temporarily covered with a steel structure and a special tarpaulin to prevent impacts from weather conditions and additionally protect the mosaics.

A steel platform with a height of 43.5 meters will be installed on four main columns.

Continuous restoration

Restoration works on the other sections of Hagia Sophia have been under way for 10 years, Asnu Bilban Yalcin, a professor of Byzantine history at Istanbul University, told Reuters on April 14.

“Hagia Sophia is full of surprises… you design and plan it, but when you open it, things may develop differently,” she added.

The actual structural problems will become more apparent when the lead cover is lifted, Hasan Firat Diker, a professor of architecture at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, told the news service.

Built by Justinian I

Hagia Sophia, completed by Roman Emperor Justinian I in 537, has been a subject of political controversy across millennia.

By 1204, it was an Orthodox church. Between 1204 and 1261, it served as a Catholic church after the invasion of the city in the Fourth Crusade.

Between 1261 and 1453, it was again an Orthodox church. In 1453, Ottoman sultan Mehmet the Conqueror invaded the city and converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Minarets were added.

In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, converted it into a museum. In 2020, it was again opened to worship for mosque goers.