Turkey to begin restoration work on dome of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world for 900 years until its capture by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453, after which it was one of Islam's most exalted mosques for nearly 500 years.
The building was converted to a museum by Turkey's secular republic more than 70 years ago but turned back into a mosque by President Tayyip Erdogan in 2020.
The process will be difficult and will "open an important page in the book of Hagia Sophia," said Asnu Bilban Yalcin, a Byzantine art historian, adding that restoration of other parts of the structure has been under way for 10 years.
"It is truly a structure full of surprises because sometimes things develop in a way we do not expect. That is, you design and plan it, but when you open it, things may develop differently," she told Reuters outside the Hagia Sophia.
The dome will first be covered to protect it during the repair process, said Ahmet Gulec, a cultural property conservation and repair expert, adding that the existing lead cover will then be removed for the restoration and reinforcement project to continue.
The reinforcement project will focus on weak structural points determined during simulations of a large earthquake, in a country criss-crossed by fault lines.
The real structural problems will become more apparent when the lead cover is lifted, said Hasan Firat Diker, a professor of architecture at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University.
The Hagia Sophia is expected remain open to worshippers and visitors during the restoration process, which makes the repair process more difficult, said Gulec, the cultural property conservation and repair expert.
The experts did not specify a date for the completion of the restoration of the dome, given potential setbacks due to weather conditions and unforeseen additional works.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Air India pilots made fatal error after takeoff causing jet to plummet to ground killing 260, crash investigators claim
But locals hailed the pilots as heroes for avoiding their densely populated housing estate next to Ahmedabad airport PILOT 'MISTAKE' Air India pilots made fatal error after takeoff causing jet to plummet to ground killing 260, crash investigators claim THE first report into the cause of the Air India crash which killed 260 people has turned the focus onto the pilots. Analysis of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Black Box indicates a possibility that the pilots may have made a human error while operating the flight bound for London. Advertisement 5 Officials inspect the remains of the Air India passenger plane at the crash site near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Credit: EPA 5 A tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building Credit: Reuters 5 Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the lead pilot 5 Clive Kunder was the co-pilot on the doomed flight 5 The preliminary report indicates switches to the engines' fuel supplies were turned off seconds after take-off. This could have triggered a loss of thrust, which resulted in the jet ploughing into a medical college, killing all but one of the 242 onboard and 19 on the ground. It is almost impossible to turn the stitches off accidentally, but sources say the black box analysis has so far been unable to rule out 'improper, inadvertent or intentional' action that caused them to be moved from the 'RUN' position to 'CUTOFF'. One potential sign that the switches were off was the deployment of the plane's emergency power system, a ram air turbine or RAT, the Wall Street Journal reports. Advertisement Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder had nearly 14,000 hours of flying experience between them. Locals have hailed them as heroes for avoiding their densely populated housing estate next to Ahmedabad airport as the jet screamed towards the ground a month ago tomorrow - saving hundreds of lives. According to the guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), investigators should release a preliminary report within a month of the accident. The preliminary report into the crash has been filed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today. Advertisement But there is currently no obligation for India's Civil Aviation Authority to make the report public. Although given the nature and intensity of the crash, Indian authorities are expected to release the report to the public. Lawyer and aviation expert James Healy-Pratt, representing 20 families from the 51 Brits who died, said: 'They have been outspoken about their need for answers. "This preliminary report is an opportunity to provide much-needed understanding to the families about the chain of events that took their loved ones. Advertisement "We all sincerely hope that they are not disappointed.' Aerospace expert Dr Jason Knight, of the University of Portsmouth, said pilot error might be the cause: "It's possible that one of the engines could have been in trouble from a technical issue and the pilot perhaps inadvertently shut down the wrong engine. That would mean both engines would have no thrust.' The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India. Advertisement The plane was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed just seconds after take-off. The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar. A final alert was last logged less than a minute after it started the journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe. Advertisement Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air. Moments later, it was seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast was seen in the distance. Brit passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the sole survivor of the fatal crash. He cheated death after being flung from seat 11A on the flaming Air India jet - escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck. Advertisement Incredible footage showed him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed. Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face. Speaking in Hindi, he says: "I just got out of the plane, it exploded."
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
Preliminary report in Air India crash expected to be released by Friday, sources say
July 8 (Reuters) - A preliminary report into the crash of an Air India jetliner that killed 260 people in June is expected to be released by Friday, a step that could provide early details into the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, three sources said on Tuesday. While the report from Indian investigators could be made public on Friday, the sources with knowledge of the matter cautioned that plans could change and there was no clarity on how much information would be available in the document, which comes about 30 days after the June 12 tragedy. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe under international rules, did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors. The investigation is focusing at least partly on engine thrust, Reuters reported last month. The London-bound Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and the rest on the ground. Earlier on Tuesday, India's ANI news reported that investigators from the AAIB submitted the preliminary report on the crash to the civil aviation ministry, citing sources. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The probe has been dogged by questions over lack of information, after investigators took about two weeks to download flight recorder data after the crash. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. However, India reversed course on an earlier decision reported by Reuters to prevent a U.N. aviation investigator from joining the probe, two senior sources said. A specialist from the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was granted observer status, following an unusual request by the agency to offer its support. ICAO declined to comment, adding in a statement that any public discussion of "cooperative arrangements," would require authorisation by the state. The crash is challenging the Tata Group's ambitious campaign to restore Air India's reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022. India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhi saying it wants India to be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai, which currently handles much of the country's international traffic. A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on Wednesday, with topics set to include the recent plane crash.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Reuters
Harrowing photos show flood aftermath at Camp Mystic
[1/25] Crosses hang from a wall with flood marks at Camp Mystic, July 7. The Christian girls' summer camp in central Texas said on Monday that at least 27 campers and counselors were among those who perished in the catastrophic flooding on the July 4th weekend. REUTERS/Marco Bello Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
