Kurtulus Mosque
Kurtulus Mosque, translated as Liberation Mosque, was originally an Armenian built Church. This church was dedicated to St Mary, commonly known as Holy Mother of God Church or St Mary’s Church Cathedral. The build was designed by the Ottoman-Armenian Architect of Sultan Abdulhamid II.
The building was constructed to be more only a church, part of a larger complex that housed a school and administrative offices for the district of Antep. Following the deportation of the Armenia peoples, the church stood empty until the 1920’s where it was repurposed as a prison of which it remained until the 1980’s where it was converted into a mosque.
The top of the church was rebuilt adding the traditional Minaret. The bell that once was housed here was taken to Gaziantep Museum due to it being made in the 19th century in South America. Now the Mosque is an active place of worship with the traditional opulent decorations of a classic mosque.