The 200-year-old Hisar Mosque, located within the boundaries of Hisar Mahallesi and opposite the Apollo Temple, remains closed several months after cracks appeared within its structure.
The building, belonging to the General Directorate of Foundations, was restored in 2020 at a cost of 588,820 TL. The project, which took one year to complete, included works on the interior and exterior walls, interior ceiling, pillars and roof.
The mosque was reopened for worship, but in July 2022, it was determined that one wall of the building had cracked and the mosque was closed again. Although it is said the necessary repairs will be made and it will be opened to worship again, no repair work is currently being carried out in the building.
A note on the front door from the Aydın Regional Directorate advises that daily prayers and Friday Prayer are instead performed in the Masjid behind the Mosque.
The deep crack in the wall, which starts from the roof, can be clearly seen when viewed from both inside and outside the building. Questions have been raised locally as to why this damage occurred.
Hisar Neighborhood Muktar Bahri Aşık expressed concerns on behalf of local residents about the condition of the historic building. “The mosque community demands the necessary repairs be made as soon as possible and the mosque be reopened for worship,” he said.
Local residents stated they collected nearly 1,000 signatures about four months ago for the mosque to be opened to worship.
The Didim Rumelian Culture and Solidarity Association has also expressed it is closely interested in the issue. Members of the association stated the building, which was used as a church during the Greek period, has been used and preserved by the Emigrant ancestors who came to Didim without any harm.
It commented: “This is one of the most important monuments of Yoran Village. It is our common responsibility to preserve and keep this building alive. For this reason, we want the mosque to be reopened for worship by removing the architectural and structural problems. We will take all necessary steps for this.”
HISTORY:
Former Name: Aya Yani (Hz. Yahya) Church
New Name: Didim Eskiköy Hisar Mosque.
The building was built as an Orthodox Church by the Greeks in the 1830s. In 1924, after the immigrants from Didim settled in Yoran Village, it was converted into a mosque. The apse of the building, which belongs to the church architecture, was demolished and turned into a flat wall. Apart from this, the church structure was preserved with all its originality and continued to be used as a mosque until today.