The mosque in Hatay, reminiscent of Al-Aqsa Mosque with its golden dome and tiles, is mesmerizing.

The Ahmet Yesevi Mosque, which was destroyed in the earthquake in Hatay, has been rebuilt with the support of the community. The mosque, whose construction is largely completed, captivates with its resemblance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In Hatay, which suffered the most destruction from the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, thousands of buildings were flattened. The Ahmet Yesevi Mosque in the Çankaya neighborhood of Kırıkhan district was also damaged and destroyed in the earthquakes on February 6. With the support of the state and philanthropists, the mosque that was destroyed in the region, where the wounds of this catastrophic disaster are being healed, has been rebuilt with the material and spiritual support of the community. The mosque, where the community worked as laborers during its construction, also enchants with its similarity to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque, distinguished by its golden dome which can be seen from miles away, attracts attention with its tiles. The official opening of the mosque, whose construction is largely completed, will take place in the coming days.

“The gate of our mosque resembling the Kaaba and its dome resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque also affects our community”

The imam of the mosque, Abdulsamet Kodalak, expressed that they joined hands with the community for the construction of the new mosque that was destroyed in the earthquake, stating, “We thought that mosques needed to rise in order to quickly restore their spiritual values after the earthquakes. Therefore, we decided to build a new mosque. While drawing the project for the new mosque, the bleeding wound of the Al-Aqsa Mosque came to our mind. Why not, we envisioned it. God granted and blessed us. He said we should chase our dreams. We decided to build a new mosque resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque. May God bless our community. We decided to build it with our own support without receiving any outside help. Our community mobilized all its resources both materially and spiritually. Our mosque is open for worship and we are waiting for its official opening. The gate of our mosque resembling the Kaaba and its dome resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque also affects our community,” he said.

“The neighborhood residents completed the construction by working completely voluntarily”

Halil İbrahim Varsın, one of the volunteers who contributed to the mosque’s construction, stated, “The Ahmet Yesevi Mosque suffered severe damage in the earthquakes on February 6. After the earthquake, we drew projects together with our mosque community. In terms of support for our Palestinian brothers and creating awareness, we completed the mosque project by resembling it to the Al-Aqsa Mosque very well. The construction of our mosque is nearing completion. The citizens in the neighborhood worked completely voluntarily. Young and old came to work on the mosque’s construction during weekends or weekdays to complete the construction. As long as there is faith, there was also means. The interior construction of the mosque has been completed and is open for worship. Only the garden arrangement remains,” he said.

“We came from Kütahya for the construction of the mosque resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Kırıkhan”

Hüseyin Cingöz, a tile master from Kütahya who came for the construction of the mosque resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque, also stated, “We came from Kütahya for the construction of the mosque resembling the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Kırıkhan. We are doing the tile work of the mosque. The construction is going very well. The appearance of the mosque is becoming very beautiful and wonderful.”