Sumela Monastery, one of the main tourist attractions in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea region, reopened to visitors on Thursday after five years of restoration work.
In 2000, the complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The monastery is literally carved into the rock and is located directly above the abyss, which makes it even more attractive to tourists.
The opening ceremony of the monastery was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the department reminded that the historical monument was closed for restoration in late 2015, and restoration work began in early 2016.
He noted that the most important and difficult part of this process was the cleaning and fixing of the rock in which the monastery is located. Ersoy explained that this is due to the frequent collapse of parts of the rock.
According to him, the premises of the temple, which were previously closed to visitors, have also been restored.
The Minister said that the monastery has “very valuable frescoes” and is currently undergoing restoration.
The head of the department also noted that he is optimistic about the prospects for the development of the Turkish tourism industry. According to his forecasts, this year the tourist flow to Turkey will amount to 12 million people, and the revenues of the national tourism industry will reach $ 20 billion.
“Last year, we ended the season with about 16 million tourists and revenue of $ 12 billion. I believe that we will end this year with a figure of 25 million tourists and more than 20 billion dollars in income, if there are no serious changes in conditions and the virus wave is not repeated”- said, in particular, Ersoy.
57 million Turkish lira (5.5 million euros) were allocated for the restoration of the temple.
According to the Anadolu Agency in the Department of Culture and Tourism of Trabzon, the project restored the main temple of the monastery, 10 chapels, a holy spring, a bell tower, a library, a two-story kitchen, a fountain, office space, monastic cells and a guest house.
A team of 100 people was involved in the restoration work, including 5 engineers, 30 professional climbers, 55 technical staff and 10 restorers.
The Panagia Sumela Orthodox Monastery, built in the late 4th and early 5th centuries in the northern Turkish province of Trabzon, is a major attraction for pilgrims as well as travelers from all over the world.
Source: Anadolu Agency