Balkans | The Hamza Bey Mosque, an Ottoman monument, will be restored in Thessaloniki

It was reported that the Hamza Bey Mosque from the Ottoman period will be restored in Thessaloniki.

And it was reported in the Greek national media, that 10.5 million euros from the improvement fund will be used for mosque restoration work, by decision of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

In the news that the restoration work will end in 2025, it was indicated that the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Works at the Ministry of Culture and Sports will take over the works.

The Hamza Bey Mosque, built in Thessaloniki in 1468 and is the oldest mosque in the city, was used for its purpose for a period after the independence of Greece. In the following years, the mosque’s minaret, which was constructed of cut stone, was destroyed, the pencil work and writing tablets on the dome erased, and the interlocking wooden pulpit inside destroyed.

The mosque, located in Ignatia, one of the main streets of the city, passed into the ownership of the National Bank of Greece in 1927. Later, the exterior of the mosque, which was sold to private individuals, was divided into a shop, and the interior was converted into a cinema and used for showing films Erotic until the eighties.

Although the mosque was damaged by earthquakes, it has managed to survive to this day.

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