23.01.2026 23:40
In the Aladağ district of Adana, only the minaret remains of the mosque that was damaged in the earthquakes on February 6 and was demolished by the decision of the governorate. Residents, who say, "There is a minaret, there is an imam, there is a congregation, but we have no mosque," are demanding the construction of a new mosque.
The neighborhood mosque in Uzunkuyu Mahallesi, Aladağ district of Adana, which was built by the villagers in 1994 through collective effort, was first identified as moderately damaged and then severely damaged during the earthquakes on February 6. The structure was demolished by a decision of the governorship for safety reasons. After the demolition, the mosque's minaret remained standing, but there was no place left in the neighborhood for worship.
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS WANT A NEW MOSQUE TO BE BUILT As the neighborhood residents are forced to perform their daily prayers at home, they want a new mosque to be built to avoid suffering during the upcoming Ramadan with the evening prayers and collective worship.
"WE HAVE AN IMAM BUT NO MOSQUE" Ramazan Karlangıç, the headman of Uzunkuyu Mahallesi, expressed that the residents have no place to perform evening prayers during the upcoming Ramadan, stating, "Our mosque was moderately damaged in the earthquake, then it was classified as severely damaged and was demolished by the order of the governorship. We did not want it to be demolished as a neighborhood, but it was unavoidable. We asked how we could have it rebuilt, but no one took on the responsibility. Right now, we have an imam, but since we do not have a mosque, the religious affairs office wants to assign our imam to other neighborhoods. We oppose this. We are a neighborhood of about 270 people with 70 households. We laid the foundation with our own means, but we do not have the strength to build the superstructure. We invite philanthropists to our neighborhood. Our congregation is large during the evening prayers in Ramadan. There are funerals, there are mevlits. It cannot be without a mosque," he said.
"A SITUATION LIKE A BLACK SEA JOKE" Bülent Ateş, one of the neighborhood residents, noted that they had built their mosques with their own means for years, saying, "We wanted an imam, we wanted a minaret, and we did all of them ourselves. Now we are in a situation like a Black Sea joke: There is a minaret, there is an imam, but there is no mosque. We have no place to hold our funerals. Ramadan is coming, and there is no place to perform evening prayers. In the summer, there used to be Quran courses for children, but now that cannot be done either," he said.
"OUR CHILDREN CANNOT RECEIVE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION" Asiye Yıldırım, another neighborhood resident, drew attention to the suffering experienced, stating, "We perform our daily prayers at home, but we cannot perform evening prayers. Our children cannot go to the mosque and receive their religious education. There is a minaret, but there is no mosque. Those who see it find it interesting. Our teacher used to teach the children how to pray and religious knowledge, but now everything is left unfinished," she said.
The neighborhood residents are waiting for support from the authorities and philanthropists to build a new mosque as soon as possible in place of the demolished mosque.