Tzistarakis Mosque ( el, Τζαμί Τζισταράκη, tr, Cizderiye Camii) is an Ottoman mosque, built in 1759, in

Monastiraki Monastiraki ( Greek: Μοναστηράκι, ''Monastiráki'', , literally ''little monastery'') is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, Greece, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to cl ...

Square, central

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

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 wi ...

. It is now functioning as an annex of the

Museum of Greek Folk Art The Museum of Greek Folk Art is a museum in Athens, Greece. The museum was founded in 1918 as the Museum of Greek Handicrafts in the Tzistarakis Mosque in Monastiraki, which later became the National Museum of Decorative Arts and in 1959 it ob ...

History

The mosque was built in 1759, by the Ottoman governor ('' voevoda'') of Athens, Mustapha Agha Tzistarakis (In original Turkish: Dizdar Mustafa Ağa, Dizdar being a rank in the Ottoman system). According to tradition, Tzistarakis used one of the pillars of the Temple of Olympian Zeus to make lime for the building, although it is more likely that he used one of the columns of the nearby Hadrian's Library. This act led to his dismissal as the Turks considered it a sacrilege which would cause vengeful spirits to be loosened upon the city, a superstition that some Athenians believed to have been confirmed when there was an outbreak of the plague later in the year. The mosque was also known as the "Mosque of the Lower Fountain" (Τζαμί του Κάτω Σιντριβανιού) or "Mosque of the Lower Market" (Τζαμί του Κάτω Παζαριού) from its proximity to the

Ancient Agora of Athens The ancient Agora of Athens (also called the Classical Agora) is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill kn ...

. During the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, the building was used as an assembly hall for the local town elders. After Greek independence, it was used in various ways: thus it was the site of a ball in honour of King

Otto of Greece Otto (, ; 1 June 181526 July 1867) was a Bavarian prince who ruled as King of Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862. The second son of King Ludw ...

in March 1834, and was also employed as a barracks, a prison and a storehouse. In 1915, it was partly rebuilt under the supervision of architect

Anastasios Orlandos Anastasios Orlandos ( el, Αναστάσιος Ορλάνδος, 23 December 1887 – 6 October 1979) was a Greek architect and historian of architecture. Biography A descendant of Ioannis Orlandos, Anastasios was born and died in Athens. He ...

, and was used to house the Museum of Greek Handwork from 1918 (in 1923 renamed to National Museum of Decorative Arts) until 1973. In 1966, it was provisionally refurbished to provide a place of prayer during the stay of the deposed

King of Saudi Arabia The king of Saudi Arabia is the monarchial head of state and ruler of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is called the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (), a ...

, Saud, in the city. In 1973, the main functions of the

moved to 17 Kydathinaion Str., with the mosque remaining as an

annex Annex or Annexe refers to a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or accommodations. It may also refer to: Places * The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada * The Annex (New ...

to it. The V. Kyriazopoulos pottery collection of ceramics remains in the mosque to this day. In 1981, the building was damaged by an earthquake and was re-opened to the public in 1991.

References

External links

*
www.athensinfoguide.com (Greek only)
{{Authority control 18th-century mosques Ottoman architecture in Athens Folk art museums and galleries in Greece Former mosques in Greece Museums in Athens Ottoman mosques in Greece Mosques in Athens 1759 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 18th-century architecture in Greece Mosques completed in 1740 Mosque buildings with domes

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links