Bursa Metropolitan Municipality has begun fieldwork for the restoration of the ancient Antakya's Ulu Mosque in Hatay, which was completely destroyed in the earthquakes on Feb. 6, dubbed as "the disaster of the century."

In a statement by the metropolitan municipality Thursday, it was recalled that the landmark mosque, one of Hatay's symbols, estimated to have been built between 1271-1272, was one of the province's oldest mosques.

Dating back to the Mamluk period, Ulu Mosque comprised various structures built in different periods, forming a complex, including a madrassa, a summer mosque, a fountain, two tombs, an imaret (public kitchen) and shops. It also held the distinction of having two mihrabs in its prayer hall, making it a unique architectural work.

Following the earthquake, the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality took charge of distributing aid for the return of normalcy to Hatay, set up mobile toilets and prepared living spaces consisting of 2,000 containers in three areas. In addition, they have now taken on the restoration project of one of the symbols of the devastated province.

The municipality's council decided to start the preparation of the survey, restitution and restoration projects for the mosque during the May session.

To create a data infrastructure for the projects, the teams of the Mapping Department conducted on-site measurements to determine the current state of the mosque.

Using a laser scanning device, they took 207 million point measurements and also created an aerial model of the historical ruins using drone shots.

The collected data will be used in the 3D modeling of the current state, generating point cloud data and preparing the orthophoto map for the restoration and reconstruction work, engineering projects and ensuring an accurate reconstruction that stays true to the original structure.

Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş mentioned that he frequently inspects the ongoing work in Hatay, adding that the municipality is committed to restoring the mosque and that the decisions were taken in the May council meeting.

"We are preparing the survey, restoration and restitution projects. On the other hand, our teams have completed the model of the structure. Hatay and Bursa are already sister cities. Now we will strengthen this bond through the great mosques. Hatay's Ulu Cami is older than Bursa Ulu Cami. Its surroundings will also be designed in this process. Hopefully, Hatay Ulu Cami will welcome its guests in a healthier environment. It befits the city that founded the Ottoman Empire, Bursa, to play a role in this," he said.