More damage has been caused to Hagia Sophia’s historic imperial gate with one of the metal plates on the oakwood doors appearing to have been pried out.
According to a report by Turkish broadcaster, ATV, the temple has once again been “the target of reckless individuals.”
“In the past, vandals have destroyed the Imperial Gate, the walls and the marbles. And now one of the emblems of the Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia has been lost,” the report said.
This is the second time in less than three months that the door has been damaged. In April, the Turkish Union of Art History shared a picture on Twitter showing damage to the doors of the 15-century-old gate.
Gelen bir şikayet fotoğrafı üzerine bu akşam (18.04.2022) saat 20.45 civarı Ayasofya Camisinin, tarihi “İmparatorluk Kapısının” bu halde olduğunu tespit ettim ve fotoğrafladım. Nöbetçi güvenlik müdürünün bilgim yok demesi üzerine ismini Talip Bey olduğunu söyleyen ve Ayasofya’nın pic.twitter.com/BH7qKNjVpg
— Sanat Tarihi Derneği (STD) (@SanatTarihiSTD) April 18, 2022
A month later, photos emerged online showing visitors scraping the walls of the historical structure and placing small pieces in their bags as souvenirs.
Bazı ziyaretçiler, Ayasofya’daki tarihi yapıları kazıyıp poşetlere doldurmaya başladı. pic.twitter.com/3bMj6Qsub9
— Vaziyet (@vaziyetcomtr) May 23, 2022
The Imperial Gate is the main entrance to what was the most important church of the Byzantine Empire and according to tradition, the doors were made with oak from Noah’s ark.
READ MORE: Greek Foreign Ministry condemns damage to Hagia Sophia’s historic Imperial Gate
