The Eski Mosque (, from , "Old Mosque") is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

town of

Komotini Komotini (, , ), is a city in the Modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece and its capital. It is also the capital of the Rhodope (regional unit), Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope- ...

dating back to 1608, or 1677/88, based on an inscription. Despite its name, the Eski Mosque was built after the Yeni ("New") Mosque of 1585, but it is likely that an original mosque stood at that place, dating back to the time of the Ottoman conquest of the area under

Evrenos Evrenos or Evrenuz (1288–1417, Yenice-i Vardar) was an Ottoman military commander. He served as a general under Süleyman Pasha, Murad I, Bayezid I, Süleyman Çelebi and Mehmed I. Legends stating that he lived for 129 years and had an incr ...

. According to the 1892 Ottoman ''

salname A salname (also called ''nevsal'') was an official annal of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. History The first salname was published in 1847. It was prepared by Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Ahmed Cevdet Pasha and Hayrullah. It was sponsored by the ...

'', the mosque featured an inscription in a "non-Ottoman" language, hence it is possible that the mosque was built on the site of a former

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

church. In the 1910s, the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

turned the mosque into a church and destroyed part of the

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

(up to the Sherefe). The building was returned to the Moslem minority in 1919-20, under the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

administration of Komotini. By then, the demolished minaret and the current 2 balconies were rebuilt.

Sources

* {{Landmarks of Komotini Buildings and structures in Komotini Ottoman mosques in Greece Mosques completed in the 1600s 17th-century architecture in Greece Mosque buildings with domes in Greece Ottoman architecture in Western Thrace Religious buildings and structures completed in 1608 Mosque buildings with minarets in Greece Sunni mosques in Greece