'Kurds' Mosque' in southern Turkey transformed, dubbed 'Turks' Mosque'

A structure dubbed "Kurds' Mosque" in southern Hatay was renamed "Turks' Mosque" during a renovation, Yeni Yaşam daily reported, while the governor's office said that the only thing remaining from the original construct after the renovations was the minaret.

Monday August 16 2021 01:20 pm

Duvar English

A mosque called "Kurds' Mosque" in the province of Hatay was "renovated" and renamed "Turks' Mosque" in 2018, Yeni Yaşam daily reported on Aug. 16.

Turkey's Foundations Directorate General ordered the renaming of the mosque in Kilis district, the Hatay Governor's Office reported, noting that the "only thing remaining from the old structure is the minaret."

The Foundations Directorate General hung up a sign that read "Turks' Mosque" while the sign for "Kurds' Mosque" was still hanging, although the latter was eventually removed.

Locals reportedly said that the state's assimilation policy was devastating history and culture, and that it amounted to a "cultural massacre."

"The highly renovated mosque lost its name, as well as its originality," said a statement on the Hatay Governor's Office website.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is notorious for its dismissal of Kurdish culture.