The danger for the structure of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is highlighted by the recent assignment for the construction of toilets(!) in Hagia Sophia, a tender that provokes the reactions of scientists.

The General Directorate of Institutions under the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced a tender for the construction of toilets in Hagia Sophia, although the famous Turkish history professor, Ilber Ortayli, had warned two years ago of the dangers of such a move, as no drainage canals can be created under the Hagia Sophia.

“What will we do if 3.5 million visitors a year ‘leaving behind’ one liter each? It is so absurd and the discussion so silly and stupid. No one can say what kind of effect it will have on the structure of the building. We do not know the foundations underneath. Because there is no study, they do not allow any study”, he had complained, a statement that is being retrieved today by the Turkish media to criticize the decision to build a toilet inside the monument.

Ilber Ortaili had blasted the Turkish authorities who had been planning it for 2 years, saying characteristically, “you can not place a toilet everywhere. Do it at home. For 1.500 years, Hagia Sophia has not been a public toilet. “For 1500 years, people have not come to Hagia Sophia for their toilet”.

The same was claimed by the well-known Turkish historian for the large mosques of the country, as well as for the Topkapi Palace.

Despite the reactions of the scientists, however, the project was finally assigned on October 15, 2020 to Iras Yapı Organizasyon A.Ş., a company that maintains close relations with politicians close to the Turkish President Erdogan, for 102.000 Euros.

The construction of the toilets is scheduled to be completed by August 11, 2021.

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Source: Ethnos