The Kariye Mosque, whose postponement announcement was made one day before its opening, was quickly removed and its pulpit removed, is being restored.
The Kariye Mosque in Fatih, for which the Council of State decided "The mosque cannot be used outside its main function", was transferred to the Religious Affairs (Diyanet) by the Presidential decree.
It was decided to postpone the opening of the Kariye Mosque, which was given on October 30, 2020, after it was transferred to the Directorate of Religious Affairs. After the decision, the carpet and pulpit inside the mosque, where the active clocks were experienced, were removed, and according to the information we obtained, the inside of the mosque was turned into a museum view. As we couldn't reach the Kariye Mosque a month ago, Milli Gazete reached new information on the subject. Speaking to our newspaper, Foundations General Director Burhan Ersoy stated that they will start a new restoration work on the Kariye Mosque with the instructions of President Erdoğan.
RESTORATION INSTRUCTIONS FROM ERDOĞAN
Making a statement to the National Gazette about the Kariye Mosque, which Muslims longed for for years, Burhan Ersoy, General Manager of Foundations, stated that the mosque will undergo restoration again. Ersoy said that President Erdogan personally gave him instructions and accordingly, restoration work will begin in a part of the Kariye Mosque. Although Ersoy said in his statement, “It will take at least six months for us to recover the restoration,” no work has been initiated in the mosque so far. General Director of Foundations Ersoy gave information about the process to be followed for the restoration of the Kariye Mosque. Noting that a restoration work will be carried out on the roof of the mosque, Ersoy stated that in this context, the restoration project has not yet been drawn, and that the work will start after the project is drawn.
After Burhan Ersoy, General Manager of Foundations, stated that the opening of the mosque could not be realized for a while due to restoration activities, they remembered "If the Kariye Mosque would not be opened because of the restoration, then why was the date given for the opening?" he asked.
Because the President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, in the statement he made after the transfer of the Kariye Mosque to the Directorate of Religious Affairs, said, "With this decision, the process started. There are operations to be done inside. After these processes are over, I hope it will be opened for worship as soon as possible. We will start with a Friday prayer," he said.
On the other hand, it is known that restoration works were carried out in the mosque before the Kariye Mosque was transferred to the Directorate of Religious Affairs. The restoration work has been going on for more than five years. The public is waiting for an explanation from the authorities about the new restoration work and the opening date of the Kariye Mosque.
Speaking to our newspaper, Foundations General Director Burhan Ersoy stated that they will start a new restoration work on the Kariye Mosque with the instructions of President Erdoğan.