8 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Historical Armenian church 500-year-old in southeastern Turkey set to be restored

Work has been initiated to transfer the historical Armenian Church, which was built in the 16th century in the province of Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey, which was not used because it had no congregation and was ruined over time, to future generations.

The historical church, which has an area of 3,769 square meters in the central Sur district of Diyarbakır, and whose ownership belongs to the Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation, will be restored.

The church, whose upper structure was completely destroyed, is also known as the Paddy Church as it was used as a paddy factory for a long time.

An inscription, now in the Diyarbakir Archeology Museum, says the Christian place of worship was last repaired in 1840.
An inscription, now in the Diyarbakir Archeology Museum, says the Christian place of worship was last repaired in 1840. Photo: AA

An inscription, now in the Diyarbakir Archeology Museum, says the Christian place of worship was last repaired in 1840.

Cemil Koc, head of the Culture Ministry’s Directorate of Surveying and Monuments in Diyarbakir, said the 16th-century building deteriorated over time due to a decline in congregations.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



He said the premises was used as a warehouse by various public institutions in the past.

The official added that the “monumental” building has immense importance for Diyarbakir. “Measurements that will form the basis of the building survey and projects are being made. Material samples have also been taken, which will help in getting more information about the church’s architectural style.”

Ergun Ayik, the head of the foundation, said the building is one of the two surviving churches in Diyarbakir, and that they have begun the process to return it to its former condition.
Ergun Ayik, the head of the foundation, said the building is one of the two surviving churches in Diyarbakir, and that they have begun the process to return it to its former condition. Photo: AA

Ergun Ayik, the head of the foundation, said the building is one of the two surviving churches in Diyarbakir, and that they have begun the process to return it to its former condition.

The Diyarbakir Directorate of Surveying and Monuments was instructed to make the project service procurement of the church, which needs to be repaired in order to transfer it to future generations, with an allowance to be met by the Diyarbakir Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency (YIKOB).

Contribution of immovable cultural assets, with the allowance provided by the Governor’s Office, a tender was held on 28 December 2021 by the Diyarbakır Directorate of Surveying and Monuments. The contract for the tender, which was made for a price of 941 thousand 640 Turkish liras, was signed.

Related Articles

Citizen scientists discover more than 1,000 new burial mounds in a Dutch archaeological project

29 January 2023

29 January 2023

A Dutch archaeological project in which thousands of amateur sleuths combed specialized maps and high resolution photographs resulted in the...

12,000-Year-Old rock art may depict extinct giants of the ice age

13 March 2022

13 March 2022

South America was filled with ice age animals more than 12,000 years ago, including car-sized ground sloths, elephantine herbivores, and...

Life in Trabzon Started in This Cave 13,000 Years Ago

12 March 2021

12 March 2021

Karadeniz Technical University Archeology Department academicians found that life in Trabzon started 13,000 years ago in the Koskarlı Cave. Koskarlı...

Archaeologists Discover Complete 13th-Century Rare Benahoarit Vase in Tijarafe Funerary Cave on La Palma

30 August 2025

30 August 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Tijarafe, a municipality on the northwestern coast of La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands, has...

Archaeologists Uncover 4,800-Year-Old Bronze Age Tombs in Başur Höyük, Türkiye, Where Teenage Girls Were Ritually Sacrificed

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

As the first civilizations began to emerge in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, significant transformations in social structure, economy, and culture took...

3,500-Year-Old Hittite Linen Fabric Exhibited for the First Time

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

A remarkable artifact, a piece of Hittite linen fabric dating back 3,500 years, has been publicly exhibited for the first...

Manot Cave yielded evidence for ritualistic gathering 35,000 years ago, the earliest on the Asian continent

13 January 2025

13 January 2025

Archaeological research at the Manot Cave in what is now the Galilee in northern Israel has uncovered evidence of ritualistic...

Roman camp of 10,000 people discovered in northern Portugal

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

A camp used by 10,000 Roman soldiers sent to conquer northwestern Iberia has been discovered in the Portuguese city of...

Exciting discoveries at Accana Mound: 3,250-year-old seal belonging to Hittite prince and Akkadian cuneiform texts discovered

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

A 3250-year-old seal of the Hittite prince and a 3400-year-old cuneiform tablet was found in Accana Höyük (Mound) in the...

A rare 2,500-year-old shipwreck found off the Greek island of Kythera

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

A rare shipwreck from the ancient era was discovered during the maritime survey for the Crete-Peloponnese subsea link. The Independent...

Saxon ‘London’ was Bigger Than Previously Believed

23 February 2024

23 February 2024

Archaeologists digging at the northern end of Trafalgar Square found evidence that Saxon London’s center was bigger and extended further...

2,300-year-old Buddhist temple discovered in Pakistan

23 December 2021

23 December 2021

Remains of a 2300 years old Buddhist Temple have been discovered in Northwest Pakistan by a joint team of Pakistani...

A Trove of ‘Exceptional’ stunningly preserved bronze statues found at an Ancient Thermal Spa in Tuscany, Italy

10 November 2022

10 November 2022

A group of Italian archaeologists made the discovery of 24 well-preserved bronze statues from an ancient thermal spring in Tuscany....

2,700-year-old Military Roman Port Found in Parion, Türkiye

18 July 2024

18 July 2024

Underwater studies in Parion, a 2,700-year-old port city from the Roman Empire in Kemer village of Biga district of Çanakkale...

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

11 March 2024

11 March 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,300-year-old clay tablet depicting a catastrophic foreign invasion of the Hittite Empire in Büklükale, about 100...