Turkey: Historic mosque gutted by PKK fire to reopen

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

Four years after it was gutted by a fire set by PKK terrorists, a historic mosque in southeastern Turkey will reopen for worship on Thursday.

Restoration of the 500-year-old Fatih Pasha Mosque -- which was damaged when the PKK dug trenches, set up barriers, and detonated explosives in Diyarbakir’s Sur district -- has been completed, according to Abdullah Ciftci, a local official.

“The mosque was restored at a cost of 10 million Turkish lira [$1.8 million] in line with its original structure,” Ciftci told Anadolu Agency, expressing pleasure at reopening such an important mosque for worship.

Ciftci said that the mosque was one of the first marks of the heritage of the Ottoman Empire, as well as being a symbolic structure of Diyarbakir.

He told how the mosque was used as a position by PKK terrorists and suffered great damage when they set it on fire together with sacred objects inside, including holy Qurans.

He said the restoration efforts started right after successful operations by Turkish security forces against the terrorists.

The historic mosque -- also known as the Lead-Covered Mosque -- was built by Biyikli Mehmet Pasha, who was appointed Diyarbakir’s governor in 1516.

It will re-enter service to worshippers with a program to mark Laylat al-Ragha’ip, or the night of wishes, with the attendance of Ali Erbas, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, it has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.

Writing by Sena Guler