Turkey continues renovating areas that were cleared of Daesh terrorists through Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, with a historic mosque and a bazaar in the town of al-Bab added to the list of the latest projects.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the importance of the mosque and the bazaar, Mahmoud Aqeel Abu Salih, who is responsible for the religious affairs of al-Bab's local council, said that so far 40 of the 60 mosques in the town are being reconstructed with the support of the Turkish Religious Foundation. Renovating the historic mosque, known as the Grand Mosque, and originally built in the year 717, is expected to continue for a year.

"The Grand mosque was damaged during clashes with Daesh. We hope to see its historical features once again after the renovation," Salih said.

Fayad Aslan, an official of the Turkish firm that takes part in the renovation process, said that during the process, columns, domes, faucets and every part of the mosque that has been damaged would be restored.

Mahmut Faris, a concrete master, emphasized that they are "doing the restoration without harming the historical features of the bazaar. We did not have the tools we have right now when the bazaar was built."

Al-Bab, an important crossroads town and settlement in northeastern Aleppo province, was liberated from the four-year-long cruel Daesh rule on Feb. 22, 2017, by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters as part of Operation Euphrates Shield launched on Aug. 24, 2016, to clear the terrorist group from Turkey's border regions.

Due to its strategic importance, al-Bab witnessed the fiercest clashes between Daesh terrorists and Turkish forces, especially in the Sheikh Aqeel district overlooking the town.

Since its liberation, most of al-Bab's residents have returned to the town, with its population jumping from 130,000 in February 2017 to 300,000 in February this year.

In addition to al-Bab, the towns of Jarablous, al-Rai and Dabiq were also cleared of the terrorist group in Operation Euphrates Shield. Since then, more than 300,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to their homeland, in addition to thousands of others displaced inside Syria.