Fethiye Mosque, Athens
Fethiye Mosque is a 17th-century mosque built on the remains of a Byzantine temple, in the area of the Roman Forum of Athens.
About this building
The current mosque was built in 1690, on the ruins of a previous Byzantine basilica from the 8th or 9th century. It has a central dome surrounded by half-domes on all sides, and by smaller domes on each corner.
It ceased its religious activity in 1834, after the Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire. Over the course of the 19th century, the mosque was used for various military purposes, serving as a barracks, a prison and finally a bakery. In the 20th century was used as a storage facility for archaeological artefacts. By 2010 the building faced serious structural problems.
After extensive restoration works, the mosque reopened to the public in 2017 as a space for cultural exhibitions.
