Nicosia, 28th October 2022 – The Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage (TCCH) is pleased to announce the completion of conservation works at Orounta/Orunda mosque within the framework of the “Support to cultural heritage monuments of great importance for Cyprus” project funded by European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The mosque located in the Orounta/Orunda village of the Nicosia area, is dated amongst various building phases that took place between the 19th and 20th centuries AD. Its complex consists of three buildings: the mosque, a secondary building and the school building. Archival sources document that in 1888, the old mosque of the Orounda/Orunda village was in a heavily deteriorated state and was in need urgent of repair. The initial mosque building was built of rubble masonry and was going to be restored with the same materials. The same sources document that in September of 1899, the locals undertook restoration works for the mosque. The documented appointment of a ratified imam on 12 April 1901 indicates that the first phase of restoration works had been concluded by that date. Nevertheless, by 1925, the mosque had once again reached a deteriorated state and a second restoration took place shortly after 1927.

In December 2021, the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage began its conservation works to preserve the monument. These works included removal of vegetation, debris and waste materials, repair of the masonry cracks, repointing of the stone masonry, reconstruction of the eroded sections, installation of a geogrid reinforcement mesh on the adobe masonry, maintenance of the roof structure as well as other necessary interventions. The conservation works ended in August 2022, marking the completion of the project.

Through its work, TCCH aims not only to restore the monuments, but also to create an atmosphere for building confidence and a culture of peace on the island of Cyprus. Each conservation site is a reflection of the cultures behind it as well as an intersection of civilizations. Thanks to the cooperation of TCCH, UNDP and EU, the shared cultural heritage of the island continues to be preserved.

Since 2012, over 100 cultural heritage sites island-wide have been conserved, structurally supported, physically protected or restored by TCCH and UNDP, with the support from the European Union with a total funding of €24.915 million The TCCH has received pproximately € 33.662 million invested by several donors, to implement the priorities of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage for the preservation of the island-wide cultural heritage of Cyprus.

For further information and media enquiries please contact UNDP at: media.cy@undp.org or Tel. +357 22874733 or +90392 2200027.