Turkey eyes opening 1,600-year-old tunnels under Hagia Sophia
Turkish authorities are considering opening a nine-kilometer network of ancient underground passages beneath Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to tourists.
Turkish authorities are exploring the possibility of opening the underground chambers of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to visitors. As part of a major scientific restoration project, specialists are clearing and restoring an ancient network of tunnels stretching approximately nine kilometers (5.6 miles), some sections of which date back around 1,600 years.
Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the underground structures may prove just as significant as Hagia Sophia's renowned architecture above ground. According to the minister, the galleries will first be opened to journalists, after which officials will assess whether the routes are safe for tourists.
"We are carrying out the most extensive restoration, conservation, and structural reinforcement project at Hagia Sophia in the history of the Turkish Republic," Ersoy emphasized.
Specialists have already completed structural reinforcement of the northeastern minaret, along with restoration work on the tombs, the Children's School building, the Clock Tower, and the upper gallery.
Work is now continuing on the main dome, where a temporary metal roof and a special platform have been installed to facilitate the cleaning and conservation of mosaics.
As the UOJ previously reported, a U.S. Senate candidate had called for Hagia Sophia to be returned to the Orthodox Church.
