There is huge concern being raised over the integrity of the Hagia Sophia cathedral in Istanbul after video footage has emerged of fragments of building material falling from inside the dome.
Security camera recordings were obtained and published by the Turkish newspaper, BirGün’, dating from September 2022, showing pieces falling from a height and landing near visitors to the church.
This has raised serious questions over the safety of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral, with BirGün notably quoting officials as saying that “pieces are falling from the roof, due to the humidity created by the crowd, but no precautions are being taken”.
The president of the Turkish Art History Association, Serif Yasar, argued for restoration of the church as soon as possible, suggesting that “If Hagia Sophia is not restored, it will collapse with the first earthquake”.
The monument was restored as a mosque three years ago after serving as a museum from 1935-2020, and has since received 21 million visitors, according to Turkey’s tourism and culture minister.
Mr Yasar and elaborated that when the church was a museum, the scientific council overseeing it urged that groups of no more than 25 people should be allowed enter the building at any one time.
This enormous lift in visitation has likely brought to the forefront the need for repairs and it was indeed reported in September that the Turkish government had decided to start long-term maintenance of Hagia Sophia.
The monument was originally built in 6th century CE as a Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral before being converted into a mosque after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1453, and it remains to this day a huge attraction of historical significance.
