Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 27 2010

Mosque fund to finance restoration of Armenian church

A Malatya foundation established to build mosques will assume the
financial costs of the restoration of a historic Armenian church
located in Malatya’s Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu neighborhood, where assassinated
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was born.

The official paperwork to begin work on the restoration was filed by
the Ã?armuzu TepebaÅ?ı Mosque Building and Preservation Foundation at
the start of 2009.

Malatya Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Bahaettin
KabahasanoÄ?lu said foundation officials had contacted them about
restoring the church. Noting that one-third of the land where the
church locates belongs to the municipality and the rest to the General
Directorate of National Real Estate, KabahasanoÄ?lu said: `We filled
out the paperwork with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and
prepared a final report. According to the report, the municipality
must hand its share over to the General Directorate of National Real
Estate. We also briefed the Sivas Regional Board of Protection of
Cultural and Natural Assets on the project. After the board approves
it and the municipality hands its share over, the church can be
restored by the foundation.’

Latif Yıldırım, president of the foundation, said the church is about
280 years old and was built during the Ottoman period, adding that the
church is a symbol of tolerance and freedom of religion in Ottoman
times. He also noted that the restoration would be carried out with
support from the Municipality of Malatya.

Dink, upon visiting the site in 2002, said the church should be restored.

27 March 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL