Historic mosque opens after renovation in Bursa province

BURSA - Anatolia News Agency

Bursa’s 600 year-old historic Yeşil Camii, (Green Mosque) has been restored over the last two and a half years at a cost of 1.8 million Turkish Liras.

The northwestern province of Bursa’s 600 year-old historic Yeşil Camii, (Green Mosque), which is famous for its tiles and has been restored over the last two and a half years at a cost of 1.8 million Turkish Liras, reopened on May 11.

The mosque was built on the order of Çelebi Sultan Mehmet, construction beginning in 1415 and finishing in 1419. One of the best examples of the early period of Ottoman architecture, the mosque is famous for its entrance gate and its historic place of worship. It underwent restoration in 1684, 1783, 1881, 1893 and 1940, but the most comprehensive restoration was made most recently by the Bursa Governor’s Office, the Provincial Directorate of Foundationsi and with the support of a sponsor company. The historic structure has thus regained its magnificence with the restoration of all its details.

Speaking at the official reopening of the mosque, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said foundation structures had previously been sold in Turkey, continuing: “They shouldn’t be sold, but they were sold before 1950. Some of these places turned into beer houses and bars after being sold. But people with spiritual senses avoided buying them. They said ‘we will not buy it even if you give it for nothing.’ Now everyone will see that these days have passed.”

Arınç said 3,500 foundation structures had been restored in the 10 years since 2002. “We have spent 3 billion liras for the restoration of 2,500 foundation structures. How did we do it? We have increased the budget for foundations and some of them were restored using the build-operate-transfer method,” he said.

Bursa Mayor Şahabettin Harpu said the mosque was one of the structures that had left its mark on the city: “Nearly 2 million liras were spent on the restoration, and beauties that most of us could not see became visible.”