For the first time since 1922, the Zeni Mosque in Thessaloniki was opened for the Muslim Ramadan.
The historical monument Zeni Mosque is currently used as an exhibition space for the Municipal Gallery and will be opened on April 10 for the Thessaloniki Muslim festival of Ramadan.
For the first time, a place has been reserved for Muslims to offer prayers during the break of the Ramadan fast.
The decision was made by the General Secretariat of Religions, while the imam is chosen by the Greek government. A related notification from the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs stated, “The Directorate General of Religious Affairs wishes Muslims that Ramadan be a month of love, charity and good deeds.”
The Zeni Mosque is a place of worship in Thessaloniki
The Zeni Mosque was built in Thessaloniki in 1902 by the Italian architect Vitaliano Bocelli and served as a place of worship for the Donmes (Danme/Danme) of Jewish converts. After the population transfer in 1922, it housed refugees for a short period. Since 1963 it has been used as the city's archaeological museum, so it is also known as the “Old Archaeological Museum”.
The building has two floors and combines the Muslim tradition with the architectural trend of its time (elements of the architectural trends of eclecticism used by the architect in many of his buildings are preserved in the city, for example, the governorate, the building of the old philosophical military palace, Villa Alladini, etc.).
Its courtyard contains a rich collection of marble sculptures from all over Thessaloniki from the Roman era and early Christian periods (sarcophagi, tombs, reliefs, honorific and funerary etc.).
Where do Muslim prayers take place in Athens and Rhodes?
In Athens, prayers will be held at the Islamic Mosque, at the Suleimaniye Mosque in Rhodes, at the Zeni Mosque in Thessaloniki, at the Old Archaeological Museum, and at 30 Archaeological Museum Street.
