Appropriation and Authenticity: The case of Transforming Churches into Mosques in Ayvalık

Abstract

A special case of transforming churches into mosques was practiced after the population exchange agreement signed on 1923 between Greece and Turkey, which forced thousands of Greeks and Turks to migrate. The churches in Ayvalık, turned into mosques by incoming Turkish migrates, are representatives of this last practice. This paper discusses the concepts of appropriation and authenticity via examining the changes introduced in the form of alterations, additions and removal during the transformation of Ayvalık churches into mosques. This discussion is contextualized within the broader issue of appropriating past buildings and it has been argued that understanding of authenticity cannot be limited to the original meaning when the building was first designed and appropriated meaning can be as authentic as the original meaning.