RAMALLAH, West Bank — A Turkish delegation of 110 members from Meram district municipality, in Konya province, arrived in Jerusalem Nov. 9 in support of an initiative — dubbed “Following in the footsteps of Abdul Hamid” — which was designed to clean up the Ottoman buildings, alleys of Jerusalem's Old City and the area of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to sprinkle rose water there.

The initiative was launched in November by the Meram district municipality, with the aim of promoting the Turkish presence in Jerusalem, making visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's calls and learning about the Ottoman antiquities in the Palestinian territories.

Fatma Toru, the head of the delegation and mayor of the Meram district, told the press at Al-Aqsa Mosque that their visit to Jerusalem came after Erdogan urged the Turks to visit Jerusalem. She said that they cleaned up the inside and outside of 60 old buildings as well as the alleys in the Old City. She added that they sprinkled rose water in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, like the Ottoman sultans had done in the past.

Accompanied by Jerusalemite girls and boys, the delegation toured the alleys of Jerusalem's Old City picking up trash and placing it in plastic bags.