The restoration of the leaning minaret of the Harput Ulucami Mosque in Elazığ is now complete. Sloping at an angle varying between 3.5 to 7 degrees, the minaret is known to “out-lean” the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. Fallen original bricks of the mosque, which was built by the Artuklu monarch Fahrettin Karaaslan in 1157, were fixed and cracks were filled. While the restoration project undertaken by the Directorate General of Foundations was limited to the minarets, the general restoration of the mosque is expected to start soon.

Harput is on UNESCO’s List
The historic Harput neighborhood of Elazığ, which resembles an open-air museum with its history of thousands of years and its cultural heritage, is placed on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage sites. The nomination process for Harput was kicked off last February. Harput is home to many historical sites, most notable of which are the leaning minaret of the Ulucami Mosque and the ancient city walls.