Conciliatory intervention by Turkey’s Culture Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy
The arrival of trucks and cranes at the 1,500-year-old monument triggered strong reactions in Turkey today. Images of heavy machinery entering one of the world’s most iconic structures shocked and angered architects, historians and archaeologists. Their outrage prompted a public reassurance from Turkey’s Culture Minister.
“Hagia Sophia will collapse”
The harshest criticism came from renowned historian İlber Ortaylı, who spoke bluntly about the monument’s structural limits.
“Hagia Sophia cannot withstand this. They clearly don’t understand architecture. Not even a car can enter there, let alone a truck or crane. The consequences will appear soon. The entire underground of the building is full of cavities. They treat Hagia Sophia like family property. I will say it again: it will collapse, and the world will blame the Turks. How do they know how many tons the building can hold? Those who made this decision are completely uneducated! Who did they consult? Did they ask Anthemios? They should have at least consulted Mimar Sinan.”
“When science is sidelined…”
Architect Korhan Gümüş placed the issue in a wider sociocultural context.
“Nature and culture… We live in a time where all boundaries vanish. Giant construction machines, transport trucks and concrete weights run rampant, destroying not only our unique nature, but also our culture. Just as they see nature as something to subdue, they now attack a UNESCO World Heritage monument with heavy machinery under the pretext of ‘restoration’. They refuse dialogue or care. They see it as weak. Their goal is to demonstrate dominance. This is what happens when science is sidelined and the ministry deals directly with contractors. Those in power control huge budgets and heavy machinery and become intoxicated by power. Instead of caution, they display Hagia Sophia as an exhibit. Even now, they try to claim, ‘we built it’,” he told Cumhuriyet newspaper, placing the restoration project at the heart of a wider ethical debate.
Growing concern
Nezih Başgelen, archaeologist and head of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Monitoring Platform, stressed the global scrutiny.
“Hagia Sophia, a uniquely important example of Outstanding Universal Value, is one of the most significant works in the history of architecture. After the Kaaba, it remains the most revered structure in our society since the Ottoman era. Domestic and international audiences follow the restoration works with concern.”
He noted that every intervention in a monument of such scale demands utmost care and respect for international conservation standards.
UNESCO rules
Concern also focuses on UNESCO guidance, which bans heavy machinery inside monumental structures. Experts warn that Hagia Sophia’s entrances and flooring are highly sensitive and that bringing in 45-ton vehicles exposes the structure to risk, even if authorities cite engineering calculations.
Başgelen added that introducing heavy vehicles through the Imperial Gate contradicts scientific conservation principles and threatens the monument’s symbolic stature.
No damage to the floor – Government responds
Despite criticism, officials — including Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy — insist the restoration follows strict scientific oversight.
He says a steel platform and protection system “fully shield the flooring inside Hagia Sophia”.
Ersoy describes the project as “the most comprehensive restoration since Mimar Sinan”, initiated under President Erdoğan and overseen by a Scientific Council.
Earthquake risk as justification
Ersoy argues that earthquake preparedness makes reinforcement essential and uses this as a key argument against criticism. He says the second phase of works in 2023 focused solely on strengthening the structure.
“Our priority now is earthquakes. They are a fact, and we must prepare. The resilience of a 1,500-year-old heritage site is crucial,” he said.
Reinforcement works, he noted, continue on the Beyazıt minaret, the exterior façade, and the main dome. Crews renewed the dome’s entire lead coating, installed a temporary steel structure, and focused heavily on mosaics.
He says engineers completed structural calculations, load tests and ground scans over the past year.
According to him, Hagia Sophia’s maximum load capacity is 25 tons per square meter, but the Scientific Council designed a method to distribute 30 tons without exerting pressure on the floor.
He says all vehicle access follows those calculations.
“Absolut protection” of the floor
The minister gave a detailed description of the floor’s protective structure: a “vapor-permeable cover, felt, sand, 18-millimeter plywood, a 10×10 cm wooden frame, an XPS board between the joints, a sound-absorbing layer on the frame, and a diamond-shaped metal sheet on the top layer” was applied.
As he emphasized, all these measures were taken “to prevent damage to Hagia Sophia’s original floor.”
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy concluded that Hagia Sophia remains open for worship.
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