Turkey Plans to Convert 150-Year-Old Christian Cemetery into Green Space

The 150-year-old Christian cemetery located in the Samandag district of Turkey's Hatay province has been proposed as a green space in a local redevelopment project. This information was reported by Ermenihaber.

The foundation of the Greek Orthodox Church in Samandag learned about the change in status of their land unexpectedly nine months ago. The foundation's director, Dimyan Emektaş, noted that they have filed a complaint regarding this matter but have not yet received a response.

According to Emektaş, they also approached the local municipality, which responded that this situation is a result of mistakes made by previous administrations.

The Greek cemetery is located adjacent to the Church of St. Mary in Hatay and has been the only burial ground used by local Christians since the 1870s.