Following the February 6 earthquakes, the work carried out to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Kahramanmaraş is being completed one by one, and the restored works are being brought back to city life.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy reopened Şekerli, Saraçhane, Acemli, Hacı Veli Bey and Bektutiye mosques, whose restorations were completed within the scope of the Kahramanmaraş program, and opened Kahramanmaraş Castle, one of the symbol structures of the city, to visitors.
In his speech at the opening of the castle, Minister Ersoy stated that they continued their meetings, visits and openings since the morning hours, and that they made evaluations regarding Kahramanmaraş and the entire earthquake region with governors, deputies and mayors.
Stating that they shared with the press members the construction, revival and restoration works carried out and completed in cultural assets, foundation works and museums damaged due to the February 6 earthquakes, Ersoy stated that they opened the Şekerli, Saraçhane, Acemli, Hacı Veli Bey and Bektutiye mosques, which were rebuilt before coming to the castle.
Ersoy described Kahramanmaraş Castle as "the symbol of the liberation struggle of Maraş, crowned with the Medal of Independence and the title of Hero, the love of the homeland and the flag, and the devotion to the sacred" and said that they opened the castle to visitors again.
Stating that the earthquakes of February 6, 2023 left deep scars in everyone's hearts, Ersoy stated that lives were literally buried under rubble.
Ersoy stated that some people who came to the region in the morning and returned to Ankara at noon were preaching disaster by saying "This place cannot be healed before 10-15 years" and said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the state has mobilized all its resources in 11 provinces from the first moment to normalize people's lives and to heal the pain and wounds.
Stating that he worked shoulder to shoulder with the citizens in Malatya for months upon the appointment of President Erdoğan, Ersoy said that other ministers also carried out work in the cities to which they were assigned. Ersoy stated that they gained strength from the patience and foresight of the citizens and said, "We built cities in 3 years." he said.
Ersoy emphasized that, as the Ministry, while meeting people's needs and expectations, they also took steps to protect and repair the damage to the cultural assets that belong to the Turkish nation, and said that they rebuilt hundreds of historical buildings that were completely destroyed or severely damaged, preserving their original architecture, dismantled and reassembled them, stone by stone, repaired them and made them available for public use.
Stating that Kahramanmaraş Castle is one of these works, Ersoy said that part of the southwestern walls of the castle collapsed due to earthquakes. Ersoy stated that separation, drift and stability problems occurred in the northeastern walls due to ground movements and damage to the slope walls.
Minister Ersoy stated that the collapsed section was rebuilt taking into account the castle's original construction technique and existing wall texture. Explaining that the damaged slope retaining walls were dismantled in a controlled manner, Ersoy said that the dismantled walls were rebuilt and repaired after the foundation and ground reinforcement were made to eliminate the ground movements and bearing capacity problems.
Stating that the interventions deemed necessary by scientists and experts were meticulously carried out in the parts of the city walls where departures and movements were intense, Ersoy stated that after the historical building was restored, a new visitor reception center was built in place of the heavily damaged old center so that visitors could experience the castle in the best way.
Ersoy said that walking paths were arranged on the upper level of the castle to ensure safer and more regular visitor circulation, information and guidance systems were renewed and landscaping works were completed.
Minister Ersoy stated that in this way, in addition to the protection of Kahramanmaraş Castle, it was also equipped to make a stronger contribution to the cultural and tourism life of the city.
Emphasizing that the preservation of cultural heritage is a requirement of responsibility towards the future as well as respect for the past, Ersoy said, "For us, restoration is not just about rebuilding what was destroyed. Restoration is about respecting the original identity of the historical work and ensuring that it continues to exist in the future." he said.
Stating that the works in Kahramanmaraş Castle are the result of this understanding, Ersoy said that while restoring the historical heritage damaged in the earthquake, the historical and symbolic meaning of the castle is also transferred to the future.
Kahramanmaraş Castle is the home of Sütçü İmam, Arslan Bey, Evliya Efendi, Çuhadar Ali, Göllülü Yusuf Çavuş, Dr. Emphasizing that it is the legacy of Mustafa and hundreds of martyrs, Ersoy said that the castle is also the legacy of those who recorded the name of Maraş in history as the first city to be liberated from occupation after the First World War.
Ersoy stated that taking care of the castle and carrying out its restoration means conveying to future generations not only a work but also a glorious history that should not be forgotten.
Stating that they worked with this awareness and completed the work, Ersoy said, "I hope that the will of 'Maraş Cannot Become a Gulzar for the Enemy Without Being a Grave for Us!' will echo in the minds and hearts of our generations every time they look at this work, just like it does in ours today." he said.
Ersoy, who started his Kahramanmaraş program with a visit to the Governorship, attended the provincial evaluation meeting there. Minister Ersoy, who later inspected the Seven Beautiful Men Library, also visited Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality.
