#Turkey #restores lost #mosques to former #glory! Turkey is set to return to their former glory a number of the 150 mosques across the country which have been lost to new #construction and #building development in recent years. Work will be carried out by the country’s Foundations Directorate which is responsible for all religious buildings. Around 130 of the sites are in Istanbul, and many have been replaced by buildings or other construction development. The Foundation said that in cases where the mosques have been purchased and turned to other use it would attempt to repurchase and restore them. Spokesman Adnan Ertem admitted some of the historic buildings may be lost permanently but added: “If the plots are still vacant, then we will rebuild them.” Among the projects to be tackled in Istanbul are the Fetih Mosque, now only a single minaret next to the Rumeli Hisari fortress. Another is the Fazıl Efendi Mosque in Yenikoy Park, in the north of the city, which has been completely demolished over the years. The nearby Karakoy Mosque, designed by Italian architect Raimondo D’ Aronco is also scheduled to be rebuilt as the plan gathers momentum. Projects already undertaken include the Çakır Aga Mosque near Yenikapı, which was pulled down in 1958 to make way for a new road and Aksaray’s Camcılar and Kazasker Abdurrahman Mosques, which were demolished for the same reason a year earlier. http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/turkey-restores-lost-mosques-glory