Kültür ve Turizm Bakanı Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, fethin nişanesi ve Fatih’in emaneti olarak anılan Ayasofya-i Kebir Camii Şerifi’ndeki restorasyon çalışmalarının yeni bir aşamaya ulaştığını duyurdu. Dört etaplı planın üç aşaması tamamlanırken, yapı dış cephe iskeleleri, statik güçlendirme projeleri ve ana kubbe için kurulan geçici koruyucu sistemle geleceğe hazırlanıyor.
Four-Stage Restoration Plan and Completed Works
Authorities have undertaken a massive preservation effort for Turkey’s cultural landmarks, placing numerous historical structures under comprehensive maintenance. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanı Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, millete ait kültürel mirası gelecek nesillere ulaştırmak adına arkeolojiden restorasyona kadar ciddi bir mesai yürüttüklerini belirtti. Bu kapsamlı çabalar içinde merkezi bir konuma sahip olan Ayasofya için bütüncül rölöve, restitüsyon ve restorasyon projeleri hazırlandı.
The current modernization follows a structured four-stage application plan. Three of these four stages have already reached completion. Initial interventions focused heavily on the south courtyard gardens, targeting major historical tombs including those of 3’üncü Mehmet, 2’nci Selim, 3’üncü Murat, and the Şehzadeler Türbesi.
During this preliminary phase, workers renewed lead roof coverings on the tombs, repaired substandard lower masonry layers, performed conservation on wooden shutters and covers, and cleaned exterior facades. Crews also restored the muvakkithane and the primary school building (sıbyan mektebi). At the same time, the ablution area near the southwestern wall returned to active service, and anti-bird deterrent devices were installed inside the complex.
Static Reinforcements and Minaret Stabilization
As work moved into the second stage, focusing on the northern, southern, and eastern exterior walls, engineers began removing cement-based plaster layers. Technicians conducted detailed structural analyses, including numerical modeling and georadar scans across the walls, to pinpoint vulnerability points. These scans directly shaped the consolidation strategies now underway in the northeastern and southeastern stair towers.
The northeast minaret required structural intervention under the approved engineering plans. Following static evaluations, authorities ordered the controlled dismantling of the minaret up to a specific height. Crews carried out a meticulous teardown starting from the copper finial down through the upper six rows of stonework and their connected stair treads.
To bolster structural performance against future seismic activity, engineers installed stainless steel plates and rod systems into the minaret architecture. Simultaneously, work crews continued cleaning and repairing the marble window fixtures while strictly preserving original materials.
Protecting the Main Dome and Interior Mosaics
Engineering evaluations have also addressed the upper structural crowns of the monument. Dr. Mehmet Selim Ökten:
Associate Professor Dr. Mehmet Selim Ökten, Civil Engineer and Science Board Member, stated that based on the results obtained from numerical modeling and analyses, it was deemed necessary to reinforce the main dome along with the semidomes, and explained that to carry out these operations and restoration interventions safely and properly, the aforementioned scaffolding system had been planned and a membrane-covered protective dome system had been installed.
Because the inner surface features delicate mosaic artistry, all structural strengthening of the main dome must take place from the outside. Removing the heavy lead roof coverings is mandatory for this deep reinforcement process. To shield the interior mosaics and shield the open structure from harsh seasonal weather during the overhaul, workers installed a membrane-covered protective dome system complete with structural chassis bases and temporary canvas protective wraps.
Bilim Heyeti Üyesi Sanat Tarihçisi Prof. Dr. Asnü Bilban Yalçın highlighted the structure’s age-old battle with physics, noting that the ancient monument faced static challenges from its very inception across both Byzantine and Ottoman eras due to its extraordinarily bold architecture.
Simultaneous Worship and Scientific Conservation
A central priority for project administrators is keeping the shrine open to the public. Engineers constructed a four-column steel platform system inside the main hall to allow daily prayers and intensive restoration labor to proceed side by side. Workers finished installing marble protection shields, secure closure systems, and connecting steel pathways to support scaffold towers reaching up toward the mosaics.
Laser scanning and photogrammetry teams have documented the current state of the dome’s interior mosaics in high detail. These digital surveys exposed past repair interventions from earlier centuries, allowing restorers to log every historical alteration directly into official project blueprint files.
