The images of shame from inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul are causing sadness. Video from a security camera shows debris falling from the dome very close, in fact, to visitors, putting them at risk.
The online edition of the Turkish newspaper Birgün notes that "Mosque-turned Hagia Sophia collapses: Footage of falling concrete fragments."
"If Hagia Sophia is not restored, it will collapse with the first earthquake.,"
The shocking video is from September 2022. In the images released on Tuesday, visitors can be seen running in fear to avoid the pieces falling almost next to them.
Officials cited by the newspaper claimed that "pieces fall from the ceiling due to the humidity created by the crowd, but no precautions are taken."
Video from a security camera shows debris falling from the dome of Hagia Sophia, constructed as a Christian Cathedral but today an Islamic Mosque, falling close to visitors and putting them at risk.
The Turkish newspaper Birgün quoted an expert saying: "If the Hagia Sophia is… pic.twitter.com/RaA6fcZseD
— Paul Antonopoulos 🇬🇷🇨🇾 (@oulosP) November 28, 2023
Commenting on the visual material, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Art History (Sanat Tarihi Derneği STD), Serif Yasar, emphasised that "if the Hagia Sophia is not restored, it will collapse with the first earthquake."
"When Hagia Sophia was a museum, i.e. before it was converted into a mosque, there was a scientific council. In its last meeting before it was abolished, the committee ruled that Hagia Sophia is 1,500 years old and if it is not restored as soon as possible, it will be destroyed in an earthquake.
"Groups of no more than 25 people should be accepted in Hagia Sophia.''
READ MORE: Turkish professor warns: “Hagia Sophia will collapse if it is not closed.”
