Diyarbakır's last synagogue under risk of collapse, warns MP
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The last remaining synagogue in Türkiye's southeastern Diyarbakır city is under the risk of collapse, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır deputy Garo Paylan has warned.
Paylan visited the synagogue in the Çermik district as part of his trips to determine the situation of endangered cultural assets in Anatolia.
The synagogue was built in the 15th century basalt and limestone stones unique to Diyarbakır, and Jews of Çermik used it until the 1960s, he said in a video. After no Jews were left in the district, the synagogue building was used as a house and depot, he added.
"Jews have worshiped in the synagogue for hundreds of years. It is now about to collapse," he said.
The Diyarbakır Directorate of Preservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage registered the synagogue as "cultural heritage" in 2002, but no action has been taken to protect it since then, the MP noted.
He called on Minister of Tourism and Culture Mehmet Nuri Ersoy to take the necessary steps to preserve the synagogue.
Diyarbakır’ın ayakta kalan son sinagogu yıkılma tehlikesi altında
— bianet (@bianet_org) September 28, 2022
HDP Milletvekili @GaroPaylan: “Bu havrada yüzlerce yıl Museviler ibadet ettiler. Şu anda yıkılmak üzere...”
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(HA/VK)