Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Medieval Armenian cemetery renovated in Turkey

A historical Armenian cemetery dating back to 1061 A.D. and measuring hundreds of acres in the eastern province of Sivas has been jointly renovated by the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, the local municipality and the provincial governor’s office. A Muslim cemetery located in the area also underwent restoration as part of the project, which was conceived by Minas Durmazgüler, the leader of Sivas’s Armenian community.

The renovation effort is being carried out in collaboration with the Patriarchate under Durmazgüler’s supervision in the village of Tavra near Kumlutarla. Sivas Mayor Doğan Ürgüp told the Hürriyet Daily News that 70 percent of the cost of renovation was paid for by the municipality, while the remaining 30 percent was taken care of by the Patriarchate and the owners of the cemetery.

Click here to read this article from Hurriyet Daily News