9-kilometer-long underground tunnels revealed beneath Hagia Sophia

The urban legend about the existence of an extensive underground passage beneath Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has been confirmed by Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, who spoke of tunnel sections with a total length of approximately 9 kilometers.

The Turkish minister, speaking at a press conference in Kahramanmaraş, stated that cleaning and restoration work on the accessible sections is already underway, noting that access to several points is blocked by collapses. “Once the work is completed, we can assess opening the appropriate and safe sections to visitors,” he emphasized.

The minister’s reference to the underground passages follows a statement he had made in February 2026, when he announced the documentation of tunnels dating back approximately 1,600 years.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also referred to the restoration, maintenance, and structural reinforcement work being carried out at Hagia Sophia, arguing that this represents the most comprehensive intervention in the history of the Turkish Republic, “with the aim,” as he put it, “of safely passing on this nearly 1,500-year-old structure to future generations.” According to him, as part of the works,…