Turkey has created a digital twin of Hagia Sophia, one of the world’s most significant landmarks, to rebuild it if it gets destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake or fire.
Nearly every inch of the unique masterpiece has been scanned, ensuring that even if it collapses in a future earthquake, it can be faithfully rebuilt, Daily Sabah reported recently.
Hagia Sophia remains the symbolic center of the Greek Orthodox faith even almost six centuries after its fall to the Ottomans and its conversion to a mosque.
From 537 to 1453, the “Great Church,” as the Byzantines called it, was the eastern heart of Christianity.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, Hagia Sophia draws millions of visitors annually, both locals and tourists alike. However, the structure has suffered gradual wear and tear over time due to visitor traffic and environmental factors.
A video from 2022 shows fragments falling on visitors from the dome of the Hagia Sophia.
In June 2022, a number of tiles of the ancient marble floors in Hagia Sophia were damaged by heavy machines used to clean the site.
The Turkish Association of Art Historians then stated, in April 2022, that the historic Imperial Gate of the Hagia Sophia had been badly damaged. The group posted a picture clearly depicting the damage to the oak wood of the fifteen-century-old gate.
Extensive restoration project
The latest effort marks the third most extensive restoration project in Hagia Sophia’s history.
Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s General Directorate of Foundations in 2022, the “Comprehensive Project of Hagia Sophia” meticulously scanned almost every square centimeter of the structure to create its digital replica, which has been archived for future generations.
“The projects undertaken so far for Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque certainly exist, but what we mean by the Comprehensive Project is a project in which all the elements of the structure have been individually drawn, including their relationship with other buildings around the structure,” explained Şengül Koncagül, head of the Artifacts and Construction Works Department at the General Directorate of Foundations, in an interview with TRT News.
“It’s a project where everything is together. Using the latest scanning techniques, we created a digital twin. This project ensures that if there is any deterioration or if the structure collapses due to an earthquake, fire or disaster, a project is in place to reconstruct it identically.”
Earthquake fears for Istanbul and Hagia Sophia
Earthquake and tsunami fever has gripped Istanbul since the disaster of 2023 in southern Turkey, as residents in Europe’s most populous city fear they could face similar devastation.
The city lies near the North Anatolia faultline, a geological danger that has seen Istanbul hit by at least 34 strong earthquakes over the last 2,000 years.
Authorities in Istanbul have placed tsunami warnings in several parts of the city and have been advising people on how best to protect themselves if the worst comes to the worst.
Memories are still fresh from the devasting 7.6 earthquake in 1999 when between 17,127 and 18,373 people died as a result.
“An earthquake can occur in Istanbul at any moment,” said Efthymios Lekkas, professor of Geology and Natural Disasters, speaking to ERT recently, citing the tsunami warning signs that have been posted in the city.
The Greek scientist who is the top seismologist in the country, noted, that only a third of the buildings are not particularly vulnerable in the city of 20 million inhabitants.
“We don’t know when the big tremor will come, maybe in five years” he noted and explained, “we are dealing with a huge faultline, the Anatolian fault, which has a length of about 1,500 kilometers from the Caspian to the Aegean, it is divided into 13 big pieces, 12 pieces have broken and given big earthquakes.
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