The renovated Turkish minaret of Eger reopening in the summer

The most notable symbol of Eger is undoubtedly its minaret which has been closed to visitors for some time during its reconstruction. The state of this Turkish monument has deteriorated a lot during the last few years, and the load-bearing capacity of the tower has also greatly decreased due to which the monument was in danger, reports Turizmus.com. Now, if the renovation goes according to the plans, the historic building can be opened to the public in the summer.

One of the most important historic monuments of the city of Eger is its minaret dating back to the Turkish era when it was built. As Minareteger.hu unveils, the 40-meter-tall building belonged to the Djami of Kethuda, but after the recapture of the city in 1687, locals wanted to destroy it with 400 oxen. Eventually, the tower was not destroyed and has stood the test of time.

However, by now it has become obvious that this monument is in urgent need of reconstruction since the state of its structure has seriously deteriorated in the last few years.

As Béla Lóczi, Technical Manager of the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc., reported, the vertical pillar of the building has moved away, and the load-bearing capacity of its foundation stones has also decreased due to which the stability of the minaret was in danger.

For this reason, the Technical Manager of the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc. decided to strengthen the foundations of the building and renovate the monument. During the reconstruction, not only the tower, but its surroundings as well get renewed, and if everything goes according to the plans, the construction works can be finished until 30 June.

The already accomplished works were financed by the Technical Manager of the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc., but for the oncoming works, public procurement has been tailored.

Béla Lóczi also talked about the archaeological excavations related to the reconstruction that provided useful information for the experts. Among others, they got to know that the underground layers present in the Turkish era have been seriously stirred up during previous earthworks, but despite the damages, they could also document some extraordinary things related to the foundation of the building.

In spite of the archaeologically precious responses obtained during the excavations, several questions have rested unanswered. For instance, it is still unknown when the building was constructed since a number of theories exist about it. Furthermore, experts finding pieces of ceramic dishes dating back to the Turkish era would also like to get to know more information about them.

Featured image: eger.varosom.hu

Source: turizmus.com; minareteger.hu