Efforts to Build a Bank Branch on Armenian Graveyard Discovered in Turkey

During excavation works for the construction of a new branch of 'İller' bank in the Ulus district of Ankara, human bones were uncovered. According to cadastral archives, there used to be an Armenian and Catholic cemetery in the indicated area. This is reported by Ermenihaber.

In light of this fact, the Turkish Chamber of Architects has called for a halt to the construction works. The Ankara branch of the Chamber of Architects has sent an official letter to the Ankara Municipality's Department of Culture and Nature Conservation, the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Cadastral Department of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, demanding that the construction work be stopped.

According to Tezcan Karakuş Candan, the director of the Ankara branch of the Chamber of Architects, the bones discovered during the construction works have been handed over to the staff of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations for examination. He stated that official sources confirm that not only a cemetery but also a church and a bathhouse previously existed in that area.

'Despite this, construction work continues unabated. This is a disrespectful attitude towards the multicultural structure of Anatolia. It is a violation of human rights and barbarism. Regardless of the religion and language of the people buried there, pouring concrete over their graves and building structures is an inhumane act; it is a crime,' Candan emphasized, demanding an immediate halt to the construction works.