Addis Abeba — The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Company (TIKA) has prolonged a proposal to the Tigray Tourism Bureau, proposing to spearhead the restoration of the Al-Nejashi Mosque, a historic construction that suffered harm amidst the Tigray struggle.
Atsbha Gebreegziabher, head of the Tigray Tourism Bureau, confirmed the regional authorities’s optimistic reception to the enchantment, signaling potential collaboration for the mosque’s rehabilitation.
In an interview with Addis Commonplace, Atsbha revealed that the Turkish Embassy in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, reached out to the Tigray Tourism Bureau in October 2023 with a proposal to help within the restoration of the Al-Nejashi Mosque, a web site of great historic heritage. “We’ve got welcomed and accepted their request,” Atsbha acknowledged.
He emphasised the necessity for regional discussions to find out the extent and strategies of conservation, which he regards as vital concerns within the restoration of historic websites.
Atsbha disclosed that TIKA’s restoration of the Al-Nejashi Mosque, deliberate in three phases, was interrupted when the staff needed to return to their nation mid-project because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the work incomplete.
He emphasised that upon resuming the restoration work, it’s essential to make clear the mission’s scope–whether to choose up the place it was left off or to focus solely on repairing the harm attributable to the Tigray struggle. “Moreover, discussions are wanted on the restoration methodologies to make sure the preservation of the positioning’s authenticity, integrity, and sustainability,” he mentioned.
Join free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the most recent in African information delivered straight to your inbox
Situated in northern Ethiopia, in Wukro, 59 kilometers from Mekelle, the regional capital, stands the Al-Nejashi Mosque, esteemed as probably the earliest mosque in Africa.
Shek Reja Nuru, the top of the Al-Nejashi Mosque, knowledgeable Addis Commonplace that the mosque first got here underneath bombardment in November 2020 and was subsequently pillaged by Eritrean troops.
In accordance with him, three civilians, together with the mosque’s secretary, misplaced their lives whereas looking for refuge inside the mosque’s partitions.
Shek Reja disclosed that Eritrean troops plundered historical Arabic stone manuscripts and varied mosque furnishings, together with a photo voltaic panel–a present from Turkey–as properly as bakery ovens, mills, and various equipment. “Moreover, a number of copies of the holy Quran have been burned when the mosque was shelled.”
He famous that the mosque, with its centuries-old dome, minaret, and tombs of great Islamic figures, has been shelled. “Though the federal and regional governments have pledged restoration, the construction stays in imminent hazard of collapse.”
