Restoration work at two-centuries old mosque stirs debate

MUĞLA

Restoration work at a 200-hundred-years old mosque in the Datça district in the western province of Muğla has drawn criticism from locals.

Osman Gürün, mayor of Muğla, posted the “before and after” photos of the Çeşmeköy Mosque on social media after restoration work was completed, with a note reading, “we will continue to work to preserve our cultural heritage and pass this heritage onto next generations.”

But the public reaction was not very welcoming.

During the restoration, the Çeşmeköy Mosque was painted white and the walls of the structure were decorated with small pieces of roof tiles.

Restoration work began in 2016 and finished five years ago, but since then, the mosque has remained idle, locals said.

“This mosque was in use until 1920s. It now looks very ugly after the restoration work. It was actually a stone building, and it should have been preserved as it was. They only plastered and painted the walls, and they attached roof tiles to the walls. Why did they not keep the original stones used in the structure? Total disgrace,” said Ali İhsan Özlü, a local resident.

The municipality defended the restoration work, saying the walls needed to be reinforced and the project was approved by authorities.

“The walls of the mosque was originally plastered and the mixture of plaster and roof tiles are often used in the strucutres in the rural areas in the Datça peninsula,” the municipality said.