Heavy machinery enters sacred Alevi grounds in eastern Turkey for state landscaping project

Heavy machinery entered the sacred Alevi grounds of Munzur Springs in eastern Dersim, despite promises from the governor's office that landscaping in the area wouldn't involve construction machinery. The state-run project will reportedly cost eight million liras, and was allegedly approved by a natural resources protection board.

Duvar English

Heavy machinery entered the sacred Alevi grounds of Munzur Springs in eastern Dersim despite promises by the governor's office that the landscaping work at the site wouldn't involve construction machinery, Mesopotamia Agency reported on Sept. 22.

The birthplace of Munzur River, the springs are a place of worship for the Alevi faith, which considers nature, animals and natural resources sacred.

"We consider this undertaking an attack on our places of worship and urge officials to revert this error," said Dersim Research Center in an official statement.

An earlier statement from the Tunceli governor's office had also said that the eight-million-dollar landscaping project in Munzur Springs had been approved by the Board of Natural Resources Protection.

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