Turks Made a Toilet in the Armenian Church of St. Bartholomew

Turkish soldiers have used the St. Bartholomew’s Church located in the territory of a Turkish military base as a toilet for many years. The Kurdish agency DIHA reports about this.

The agency’s correspondent visited the church and asked the competent authorities about the future of the shrine. He found out that after the Armenian Genocide, the church has been situated on the territory of a military base. Turkish soldiers destroyed Armenian inscriptions and paintings and used its territory as a toilet.

The agency’s correspondent addressed the Culture and Tourism Department of Van. There, he was informed about an initiative to restore the church which had been shut down due to lack of funds.

P.S. The main part of the financial income of Kurds living in the territory of Historical Armenia depends on the tourist flows visiting antique Armenian monuments.