TİKA Continues to Support Islamic Culture

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) restored the Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Suffering House, located in Herat, Afghanistan, and opened it for visitors.

In his speech at the inauguration of the suffering house, TİKA’s Herat Coordinator Ali Ergun Çınar expressed his satisfaction with the restoration of the suffering house to its original status, which had been home to many holy figures for centuries. Çınar thanked the project’s restorer and the restoration team for renovating the building, which was severely damaged, with great precision and patience. He also expressed his gratitude to the individuals and organizations that supported the project.

In his speech at the ceremony, Samim Herevî, a member of the Faculty of Theology at Herat University, thanked TİKA for its contribution to the cultural heritage of Afghanistan. Herevî stated that the building should also be opened to be used for religious purposes. He also demanded the reestablishment of learning and science circles, which had been established in this place in the past centuries.

The inauguration ceremony, which was attended by the Trustee of Herat Gazurgah, officials of the Herat Provincial Directorate of Culture, faculty members, and important religious and cultural figures in the city, attracted great attention from the local and national media.

Located a few hundred meters from the Gazurgah complex, the Khwaja Abdullah Ansari Suffering House is the only suffering house in Herat. There are four unmarked historic graves in this two-story building, which has a circular interior and a dodecagon-shaped courtyard. The building is thought to have a thousand years of history.