The Yeni Mosque ( el, Γενί Τζαμί, from tr, Yeni Camii, "New Mosque") is a historical
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
in
Larissa
Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
History
The mosque was built around the turn of the 20th century, in the centre of the city, at 31is Avgoustou Road.
Its exact date of construction, as well as its founder, are unknown, but the
neoclassical decoration both on the exterior as well as in the interior point to sometime in the 19th century. It was the last of several mosques built in the city under Ottoman rule, whence its name.
The mosque continued to be used by the local Muslims until 1924, when they left in consequence of the
Greco-Turkish population exchange.
From 1939 to 1941 building was used to house the Municipal Library and a small archaeological collection, which was partly looted by the occupying forces during the
Axis occupation of Greece.
The earthquakes of 1941, 1955, 1957, and 1980 damaged the building.
From the late 1950s until 2011 the building housed the
Larissa Archaeological Museum.
Design
The building is square-shaped, featuring a prayer hall with nine arched windows and a four-sided, tile-covered roof.
The entrance has a tripartite portico covered by three half-domes.
The minaret on the northwestern corner survives up to the balcony.
See also
*
Islam in Greece
Islam in Greece is represented by two distinct communities; Muslims that have lived in Greece since the times of the Ottoman Empire (primarily in East Macedonia and Thrace) and Muslim immigrants that began arriving in the last quarter of the ...
*
List of mosques in Greece The construction of mosques in Greece has been documented since the period of the Greek Ottoman Empire. Most of the mosques listed were built in the late 14th to early 20th centuries, when parts of modern Greece were part of the Ottoman Empire.
L ...
*
List of former mosques in Greece
References
{{Ottoman monuments of Thessaly
Buildings and structures in Larissa
Former mosques in Greece
Ottoman mosques in Greece
Ottoman architecture in Thessaly
19th-century mosques
Neoclassical architecture in Greece
19th-century architecture in Greece