Investigation of Floor Surface Deformation of Hagia Sophia Museum with Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

One of the most important structures in history and in Istanbul of Hagia Sophia has survived for centuries to reach the present day. Housing different cultures during the progress of history, Hagia Sofia experienced both natural and human-sourced destruction. Currently acting as a museum, the non-destructive ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technique was applied to the study area in the museum with the aim of identifying fractures observed in the floor of the structure. Antennae with different frequencies were used noting the penetration features with studies completed in the south wing of the gallery floor in front of the Marble Door. In line with this study, identification of both fractures and the status of weak sections and the links between fine fractures with main fractures were researched. Crack type of deformations at the gallery floor was investigated by the ground penetrating radar monitoring. Results indicate that the radargrams strongly reflect those cracks and are compatible with some of collapse on the floor