Hagia Sophia restoration to protect 1,500-year-old Unesco ‘masterpiece’

Hagia Sophia, Turkey’s grandest mosque and one of the world’s most significant cultural landmarks, is facing critical restoration efforts led by architect Hasan Fırat Diker. The project aims to strengthen the building’s central dome, which has suffered from uneven construction and recent earthquakes in Istanbul. Despite its vulnerabilities, including historical earthquakes that have weakened parts of the structure, the team is working to preserve this centuries-old masterpiece for future generations.