The Mausoleums of Mem and Zin are Restored

Suleyman Yildirim, mayor of the southeastern Anatolian city of Cizre, said that the restoration project for the mausoleums of Mem u Zin, has been completed, and the restoration would begin shortly.

Yildirim has been working on the restoration project jointly with the Foundation of Preserving and Promoting Natural and Cultural Properties (CEKUL).

1 trillion Turkish lira for the restoration

Yildirim said that about 1 trillion Turkish lira (650 million US dollars), would be spent on the restoration of the mausoleums of Mem and Zin on the Sur Street, which attract local and foreign tourists every year.

"The Aim is to Complete Restorations by Valentine's Day"

Yildirim, who explained that a team from CEKUL would come to the district and start the restorations, gave these information:

* We aim to complete the restorations by Valentine's Day on the 14th of February.

* By restoring a historical piece that has become a ruin, we hope to

contribute to tourism and pass it on to the next generations.

* We also expect the support of our fellow citizens.

Ahmedi Xani wrote about it

Ahmedi Xani had written about the eternal love between Mem and Zin in Cizre during the years 1450-1451, 240 years after they died.

The story of their love was translated into many languages

Ahmedi Xani, in his piece, brought together truthfulness, goodness, innocence, weakness and despair under the characters of Mem and Zin; and malignity, hypocrisy, sedition, malice and sycophancy under the character of Beko.

Ahmedi Xani's Kurdish piece was translated into Arabic, Persian, French and Russian. (EÖ/BB)