Turkish Cypriot religious endowment foundation Evkaf has expressed disappointment over the holding of a beer festival in the square where the historic Zouhouri mosque complexis located in Larnaca.

In a statement carried by Turkish Cypriot online media, Evkaf said the historical site and its religious identity should be respected, adding that residents of the area had asked for the event to be held elsewhere.

It called on Larnaca municipality and the relevant authorities to show greater sensitivity towards the character of the monument when organising future events.

The complex has previously been included among cultural heritage sites selected for conservation under the work of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, with projects supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The conservation works at Zouhouri Tekke were completed in February 2022 with a completion event on March 23, 2023, covering both Zouhouri Tekke and Tuzla Hammam. 

The wider redevelopment of Zouhouri square was a separate Larnaca municipality project, inaugurated in January 2023.