Restoration works in Selimiye Mosque to last over 3 years

EDİRNE

The restoration process of the Selimiye Mosque, a historical mosque in Edirne built by chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, that started nine months ago, will continue for at least three-and-a-half years, the Tourism Commission of the provincial general assembly has stated.

The Selimiye Mosque, a complex on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2011, was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and constructed by Sinan, known as “the Grand Architect,” between 1568 and 1575.

The commission presented a report about the nine-month process within the scope of indoor and outdoor restoration of the Selimiye Mosque.

Stating that the Selimiye Mosque and Social Complex are located in an area of about 20,000 square meters, Tourism Commission chair Çiğdem Gegeoğlu said: “The courtyard and the mosque will be renewed together with the lead covering infrastructure.”

All pencil, porphyry and calligraphy works in the mosque will be also retouched in accordance with the original, she added.

Highlighting that necessary reinforcement works will be carried out in the minarets, the report said: “All wooden attachments will be rebuilt with oak timber and heat glass. The necessary reinforcement works will be made in minarets and balconies. Travertine minaret railings will be replaced. All power lines, lighting and sound system inside the mosque will be changed.”

The south, north and west entrance doors of the mosque, which are under the construction site area, will not be used for worship and visiting, but the doors in the area where there are sultans’ lodges will remain open for entry to the mosque.

Edirne Provincial General Assembly chair Mehmet Geçmiş underlined the historical importance of the Selimiye Mosque.

“Selimiye Mosque is a very important building for Edirne. Edirne is known for the Selimiye Mosque because it is a building included on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. The mosque is undergoing the most comprehensive and detailed maintenance after 1980,” he said.

Selimiye Mosque is open for worship during the restoration.