Building of a XIX Century Mosque in Belogorsk is Used as a family hostel, Press-Service of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea (RAMC) reports. This mosque was called “Eldırım maalesi camisi” (“Mosque of the Eldirim Street”), and there used to be a high minaret.

The minaret was ruined after the deportation of 1944 after the Soviet authority’s order, and the building itself was refit to become a hostel. Eight families live there now.

According to Mr. Bilyal Ilyasov, Head of the local community, they’ve been doing the work on returning this religious building since 1989, but still got nowhere ever since, the “15 minutes” reports.

Local authorities always respond that they don’t have other accommodation for those families, and can’t return the building to Muslims for that reason.

According to the RAMC, there were 27 mosques in Belogorsk before 1944, one per every 2 or 3 streets.