Lesbos Island initiates efforts to revive Ottoman-era artifacts

Restoration efforts have begun to preserve the fading Ottoman-era monuments on the Greek island of Lesbos, a Greek official has announced.

"Our municipality has taken action to preserve and promote Ottoman-era artifacts. We consider this legacy to be our own treasure and feel obligated to both safeguard and publicise it," said Taxiarchis Verros, the mayor of Kalloni — a town in the island's west-central part - during his visit to Türkiye's western province of Balıkesir's Ayvalık district on the occasion of an archeology symposium.

Verros also expressed his gratitude, first and foremost as a Greek citizen, to Ayvalık Mayor Mesut Ergin for his efforts in preserving and restoring part of the shared cultural history that connects Ayvalık, Edremit and Lesbos Island.

Ottoman sovereignty over Lesbos Island dates back to the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror in 1462, with the percentage of Turkish residents on the island rising to 16 percent by the mid-1800s.

The island remained under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until 1913, and in 1922, during the population exchange between the two nations, the Greek population in Anatolia supplanted the Turkish population on Lesbos.

Owing to the years of Ottoman rule, the island serves as a living representation of Ottoman-era culture and architecture.

The island is home to around 100 Ottoman-era monuments, with 76 located in the city of Lesbos and the remaining 24 scattered across the island. It boasts inscriptions on structures and castles, along with several mosques and fountains from the Ottoman era.