Conservation works at the mosques of Agios Nicolaos and Agios Ioannis in Paphos district, on the southwest of Cyprus were presented on Thursday, by the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Agios Nicolaos Mosque is situated in the centre of the village of Agios Nicolaos, 47km from Paphos, and next to the village school. According to a press release by the Technical Committee, the Mosque in Agios Nicolaos forms part of the so-called “Paphos Cluster”. Conservation works to the mosque and minaret started in March 2017 and were completed in November 2017. The project was fully funded by the European Union. Total cost of works was approximately 87,000 Euro. Conservation works included, the consolidation of the mosque and minaret and architectural conservation, upgrading and improvement of the courtyard with rainwater drainage.

Agios Ioannis Mosque is situated in the centre of the village of Agios Ioannis, 43km east of Paphos. It is a rectangular shaped building and replaces a previous mosque. The mihrab is still preserved, as well as a simple wooden minbar.Conservation
works started in March 2017 and were completed in September 2017. The project was fully funded by the European Union. Total cost of works was approximately 82,000 Euro. Conservation works included the consolidation of the mosque and minaret and architectural conservation.

Glafkos Constantinides, member of the Technical Committee in his speech said that he is very proud that the project is completed and the Mosques have been restored. He said that the Mosques are part of our common cultural heritage. He also read a speech by Takis Chatzidemetriou, of the Technical Committee who pointed out that they will continue our work consistently and persistently around us and within us, to make the work a milestone in our long march towards a different future.

Ali Tuncay, member of the Committee referred to the very important work of the Committee all over the island , adding that the completion of the projects brings Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots together.

Brief speeches were also given by Tiziana Zennaro of the UNDP-PFF Programme and a Representative of the European Commission. Zennaro said that many more heritage sites of Cyprus await to be preserved, adding that days like this give us the motivation we need to keep up our joint work.So, thank you for being here. It means a lot to all of us working on these projects.

Kjartan Bjornsson, Head of Unit Cyprus Settlement Support, Structural Reform Support Service, in his speech said that all of the Cultural Heritage projects that we are doing together are having an impact on the future of Cyprus, a better future for all Cypriots.

Since 2012 approximately €14.7 Million have been provided by the European Union through the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community to implement the priorities of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage for the preservation of the island-wide cultural heritage in Cyprus. The European Union is the largest contributor to the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in Cyprus.