
Sur’s historic buildings shout ‘We are disappearing’

2017-10-02 10:16:49


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	DİYARBAKIR – Historic buildings in Diyarbakır’s Sur district, which is in the list of UNESCO, have faced destruction and many segments and UNESCO maintain their silence. No one hears the cry of buildings.

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	While a sufficient public opinion hasn’t been created against the demolishment of historic buildings in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, Kurşunlu Mosque, Four-legged Minaret, Surp Giragos Armenian Church, Armenian Catholic Church and historic houses are being destroyed day by day on the ground that they locate in the curfew area.

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	Resistance and trace of history…

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	The world’s longest curfew has been imposed in the Cemal Yılmaz, Hasırlı, Savaş and Fatihpaşa neighborhoods. The neighborhoods, where the curfew has been imposed in the four neighborhoods for one year, nine months and 34 days, are the witnesses of historic resistance lasted 103 days. Both history and trace of resistance in these neighborhoods have been tried to be destroyed.

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	Furthermore, the curfew was declared in these four neighborhoods just after the murder of Tahir Elçi, Chairperson of Diyarbakır Bar Association, in front of the Four-Legged Minaret on 28 November 2016. All roads to these neighborhoods are closed with concrete barriers. And city surveillance cameras have been set up in all neighborhoods of Sur.

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	It witnesses since the 16th century

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	Four-Legged Minaret; Sheikh Mutahhar Mosque (Sheikh Matar Mosque, Four-Legged Minaret Mosque, Kasım Bey Mosque or Kasım Padishah Mosque) was built in 1500 by Kasım Bey during Akkoyunlus era and it is one of the most important monumental works of that period.

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	Historical remains are wanted to be silenced with blockades

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	Following the declaration of the curfew, just after the murder of Diyarbakır Bar Association Chairperson Tahir Elçi, the Four-Legged Minaret was closed with police barriers. The ruling power, which aims at making historic resistance everyone forget, wants to silence the struggle against fascism.

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	And historic buildings, included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, are shouting, ‘We are disappearing’.

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