Bursa Signature for Hatay… Debris Removed from Antakya Grand Mosque

In Hatay, which was the hardest hit by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that devastated Turkey, not only buildings, but also centuries-old mosques, castles, inns, churches and many historical monuments were either completely destroyed or severely damaged. The historical Antakya Ulu Mosque, one of Hatay's oldest mosques, thought to have been built in 1271-1272, was also destroyed after the earthquakes and turned into a pile of rubble. The Great Mosque, which was built during the Mamluk period and is a social complex consisting of structures built in different periods such as a madrasah, a summer mosque, a fountain, two mausoleums, a fountain, a soup kitchen and shops; It also had the distinction of being a single work in terms of having two mihrabs in the harim. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which undertook the distribution of aid for life to return to normal in Hatay after the earthquake, installed portable toilets and prepared living spaces consisting of 3 containers in 2000 different regions, also undertook the restoration of the Antakya Grand Mosque.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality primarily recorded the current situation with laser scanning devices by the Map Branch Directorate teams in order to create a data base for the survey, restitution and restoration project. While the necessary data was collected for modeling the current situation with 3D scanning, producing point cloud data and preparing the orthophoto map, studies in the field were also accelerated. While the construction site was established in the historical rubble, the historical ruins among the rubble piles were first cleared. While the area where the historical mosque was located was completely cleaned, the restoration work of the historical building in accordance with its original was also accelerated.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş, who went to Hatay immediately after the disaster and followed the works in the region for a long time, said that the Antakya Grand Mosque, which they undertook the restoration of, will be an important Bursa signature to Hatay.

Noting that survey, restoration and restitution projects have been prepared and modeling work on the debris has been completed, Mayor Aktaş said, “Our contractor company is rapidly continuing its work in the field. Removing the debris took some time, but meticulous work was required. Each piece of historical value was recorded one by one. Now the area has been completely cleared and we are accelerating the work. Hopefully, Hatay Ulu Mosque will receive its guests in a healthier environment. "It is a great pleasure for me to be instrumental in this," he said.