Ayasofya's underground structures to open for visits

The underground marvels of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, encompassing tunnels, vaults, passageways and a three-chamber tomb, are soon to be unveiled for public visits following extensive restoration and cleaning.

Speaking about the cleaning and restoration works undertaken by the General Directorate of Foundations, Professor Hasan Fırat Diker, a member of the Hagia Sophia Scientific Committee, revealed that architectural visualization studies of the underground structures began approximately five years ago.

With the support of Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and General Director of Foundations Sinan Aksu, cleaning work will now start for these long-neglected underground areas, Diker stated. "This will allow the centuries-old underground beauty and archaeological findings of Hagia Sophia to be shared with the public," he added.

Diker explained that the underground structures, spanning about a kilometer around Hagia Sophia and including tunnels, vaults and a tomb, will undergo cleaning over the course of one year.

He highlighted that the project is expected to attract attention from both Türkiye and the international community. "This work is significant not only for making portions of the underground areas accessible to visitors but also for uncovering findings that could illuminate Istanbul's history after careful examination under the supervision of Hagia Sophia Museum's archaeological team," he said.

The sections beneath the colonnaded courtyard are believed to be contemporaneous with Hagia Sophia, approximately 1,500 years old, while the tomb area predates the current structure, Diker noted.

Diker emphasized the significance of the project, saying: "The cleaning of these underground structures is...