Konuk told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that Murat Reis mosque was originally a cemetery for "martyrs" or Ottoman soldiers who died during the conquest of the island by Ottoman forces in 1522 and later expanded to host the graves of Murat Pasha, a conqueror of Cyprus and a former shah of Iran.
"Over time, the complex turned into a center for Muslims here, where they hosted religious wedding ceremonies and other religious conventions," she said.
After the passing of Şaban Kargınlıoğlu, volunteer custodian of the mosque, in 2018, the local board for historic monuments seized the place and over time, it was converted into a school, Konuk said.
"This is great damage to cultural heritage and a great disrespect to the religion of a community."
She said Greece also resorted to the practice of not recording Ottoman-era buildings into official building registers.
"You cannot find any Ottoman-Turkish structure in their register, neither on the mainland nor in the islands. They register it as 'Muslim heritage.' It is either a 'Muslim fountain' or a 'Muslim library.' So, it can easily deny it has any Ottoman heritage," she said.
Konuk added that the mosque's cemetery was also damaged and some were stolen in the past decades.
"They did not repair any stones. Also, locals leave animal feed in the cemetery, drawing cats and dogs here. Stray cats and dogs leave their excrement on the graves sacred to Muslims, which is also an insult to people's faith," she said.
