The Sur district of Diyarbakir has greatly suffered from the curfew hour and armed clashes that have been ongoing for the past 78 days now. According to the Turkish Dicil news agency, the Saint Kirakos Armenian Church, the largest Armenian church in the Middle East, has been partially damaged.

According to  news and photos posted on social websites, among other historic structures devastated by these clashes is also the Saint Kirakos Church, the walls of which were destructed for entry.

As reports ermenihaber.am, member of the executive council of the Church’s foundation Gafur Turkay mentions that there are no more azans (call for Muslim prayers) or church bells heard in Sur where the sounds of Muslim azan and the bells of the Armenian Church were mixed together.

Gafur Turkay informed that Armenians from other Turkish cities and Armenians living in Europe and the USA have been constantly calling them following the release of photos of the destroyed church in the presses and have been trying to receive specific information about the church.

Turkay also mentioned that another historic structure, the Kurşunlu Cami mosque has been completely destroyed.

They haven’t been able to receive any official information about the losses that the Saint Kirakos Church suffered since Sur is a prohibited zone and even state officials aren’t providing any information.

In response to questions from Armenia’s presses, editor-in-chief of Turkey’s Armenian Agos Weekly Edward Danzigian mentioned that the photos of the dilapidated church in the presses don’t portray the Saint Kirakos Armenian Apostolic Church, but the Saint Sarkis Armenian Catholic Church of Diyarbakir.

After being inactive for 97 years, the Saint Kirakos Armenian Church was restored and reopened with grand splendor on 4 November 2012, reuniting all well-known and even incognito Armenians of Diyarbakir and the nearby residential areas. For the local Armenian community, the church became a way for the Armenians to return to their roots, not forget Christian traditions and simply further strengthen the relations between the members of the Armenian community.

As the member of the executive council of the Church’s foundation mentioned, if the church becomes inactive again, that will be a great blow to the local Armenian community and will cause deep sorrow and disappointment.