By Sofia Kannas
THE KEBIR Mosque in Limassol has opened for the first time since the Turkish invasion in 1974, the Turkish Cypriot Properties Administration in the city confirmed yesterday.
The mosque, which has been disused for more than 30 years, was re-opened on Tuesday after the completion of extensive renovation work sponsored by the government.
Ayhan Mehmet, representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in Limassol and member of the ‘Cyprus belongs to Cypriots’ organisation, told the Cyprus Mail the opening of the mosque had coincided with the start of the three-day bayram celebrations.
“We were expecting President Glafcos Clerides to come and officially open the mosque but he was unwell, so we went ahead with the opening ceremony. But we have left the ribbon intact so we hope he can come and cut it soon.
“The President donated 350 kilos of lamb for our feast, which was shared among 90 families. He also sent us a carpet for the mosque,” he added.
Mehmet said the 600 Turkish Cypriots in Limassol were delighted at the reopening of the mosque after so many years.
“We are very pleased. It’s the first time the Turkish Cypriots have had their own mosque in over 30 years.”
All that remains is for an imam to be found for the mosque.
“We need an imam, but we want a Turkish Cypriot either from the north or from the United Kingdom. We don’t want an Arab or a Turk from the mainland. We are Cypriots and we want some one who really represents us.
“We are going to try and get in touch with the UN so that they can maybe help us find a Turkish Cypriot from the north. If not, we have some contacts in the UK.”
Mehmet expressed his community’s gratitude to President Clerides’ government for sponsoring the project, saying: “We thank Mr Clerides and the Republic of Cyprus for helping reopen the mosque.
“We are now considering requesting the opening of a Turkish primary school in Limassol. We’d like to reopen one and we hope the government can help again.”
Nicos Antoniades, a senior officer at the Turkish Cypriot Properties Administration in Limassol said the renovation project, which began at the beginning of the month, had cost £7,000.
“The Turkish Cypriot Properties Administration has spent £7,000 on restoring the Kebir mosque. It has been painted inside and out, toilet facilities have been added, and the balcony leading to the top of the minaret has also been reconstructed.
“We are very pleased with the project. The President showed his interest in the scheme and we responded quickly to the request for the mosque’s renovation. The Turkish Cypriots are very pleased at the outcome,” he added.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
