Turkiye launches major Hagia Sophia restoration to bolster quake resilience – Middle East Monitor

Turkiye has launched a landmark restoration project on Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, marking the most extensive structural intervention to the 1,500-year-old monument in over 150 years.

The restoration focuses on reinforcing the main dome and surrounding semi-domes to withstand potential earthquakes. “We have been carrying out intensive restoration efforts on Hagia Sophia and its surrounding structures for three years,” said Mehmet Selim Okten, a construction…