Turks desecrate 500 churches in North Cyprus – OSCE
30.08.11
Since the occupation of North Cyprus (1974), 500 churches on the territory were desecrated plundered and converted to mosques, according to the OSCE report on the Destruction of Cultural Property in the Northern Part of Cyprus and Violations of International Law.
The document based on the studies and warnings of historians and Christian clergymen highlights the fact that the Christian Heritage in the Turkish part of Cyprus is on the edge of destruction.
The historical values of Christian culture are also reported to have suffered damage. Some 15,000 icons from those churches were either destroyed or sold almost for next to nothing.
Seventy-seven churches were converted into mosques and some 28 became military hospital, says the report.
