A proposed fuel station on a site adjoining the Turkish Muslim cemetery in Marsa would have an adverse and negative visual impact and affect the state of conservation of the elaborate stonework of the complex, Din l-Art Ħelwa said.

It said in a statement that a planning application was recently submitted for the replacement of a disused factory with a fuel station and car-wash facility next to the cemetery.

“The proposed development is totally incompatible with the historic character of the complex... The proposed use on such a site is even disrespectful to the sensibilities of the local Muslim community and all those striving to restore the Turkish cemetery to its former glory,” it said.

The Muslim cemetery is an orientalist-style architectural complex built in 1873-4, designed by the Maltese architect Emanuele Luigi Galizia and financed entirely by the Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz (r. 1861–76).

It is one of Galizia’s finest architectural works in the 19th century. It is a scheduled Grade I building and should be afforded the maximum degree of protection possible.

The cemetery is currently undergoing an extensive restoration programme financed by the Turkish government.

Din l-Art Ħelwa appealed to the Planning Authority and the authorities to refuse the application and relocate the proposed facility to a different site.