The Yeni Mosque (, from , "New Mosque") is an Ottoman mosque 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 1585. It is the only surviving structure in Greece to feature

Iznik tiles Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century. Turkish stylization is a reflection ...

from the 1580s, the zenith of the Iznik potters' art. The mosque is located in the center of Komotini, adjacent to the

Muftiate A muftiate is an administrative territorial entity, mainly in the post-Soviet and Southeast European states, under the supervision of a mufti. In the post-Yugoslavia states, spiritual administrations similar to the muftiate are called '' riyasat'' ...

Rhodope Prefecture Rhodope (, ''Rodópi'' ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Togeth ...

. Next to the Mosque is the Clock tower of Komotini and the Ottoman

Turkish bath A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

s are found in neighboring areas. Ironically, the New Mosque was built before the Old Mosque of 1608.

History

Its founding is attributed to Ekmekçizade Ahmed Pasha who was the chief finance minister ('' defterdar'') in 1606-1613 of Sultan

Ahmed I Ahmed I ( '; ; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth, Ottoman rulers would no ...

and of

Osman II Osman II ( ''‘Osmān-i sānī''; ; 3 November 1604 – 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 26 February 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. Early life Osman II was born at Topkapı Pa ...

(1618-1622). The

külliye A külliye () is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa (clinic), kitchens ...

of Ekmekçizade Ahmed included a

medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

, a double

(now in ruins) and a mektep. The current form of the mosque dates back to 1902. The mosque has a square prayer hall and has been architecturally influenced by the aesthetics of Greek

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

. In the period 2007–8, the building was refurbished. It is in active service as a place of Muslim worship, serving the large Muslim community of Komotini (''Gümülcine'' in Turkish).

Sources

* Ottoman Thrace Buildings and structures in Komotini Ottoman mosques in Greece Mosques completed in the 1580s Mosque buildings with domes in Greece Ottoman architecture in Western Thrace Religious buildings and structures completed in 1585 Mosque buildings with minarets in Greece {{europe-mosque-stub

History

See also

Sources