If no measures are taken for Hagia Sophia as soon as possible and there is no restoration, the historic building will not last until 2050, said Yasar Serif, President of the Art History Association in Turkey.
Following the images of destruction at Hagia Sophia, editors of the Turkish newspaper Jumhuriyet visited the monument and observed thousands of people flocking from Sultanahmet Square into the historic building, which is accelerating the deterioration.
The president of the Art History Association told the newspaper that while the Hagia Sophia was a museum, a scientific committee had concluded that "even the humidity created by human breathing inside is very harmful and therefore, tourists should be allowed inside in groups of 20 people at most, otherwise this will shorten the life of the Hagia Sophia."
"But as you know, scientific committees are advisory in Turkey, they do not make decisions," he said. He added that "the person in charge of Hagia Sophia at the moment is a friend who previously worked as a licensing officer in Beyoğlu municipality, who did not understand any of these things, he said they will repair the door when there is an incident. And he even used the word repair instead of restoration without even knowing that it was restoration."
Sherif Yasar said that "if measures are not taken for Hagia Sophia as soon as possible and there is no restoration, it will not go until 2050. It definitely won't go."
Archaeologist and photographer Omer Farouk Yavashchai also spoke to Jumhuriyet about the issue and said he is not against using Hagia Sophia as a mosque, but there should be a ticket.
"People who sleep for hours inside Hagia Sophia and enter with their suitcases. Since admission is free, many people use the beautiful Hagia Sophia as a resting, sleeping or waiting spot before traveling. It's a very bad picture, unfortunately," he said."
Source: CNA
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