Yeni Djami (Mosque) in Mytilene

From 1462 until 1912, Lesbos was under the Ottoman Rule. The Muslim population initially settled in the residential area of the Mytilene Castle, gradually increasing during the 16th c. and soon expanding north of the city, in the wider area of Epano Skala, where the famous Muslim district was founded. The Christian population was marginalised in the southern part of Mytilene, with the cathedral of Agioi Theodoroi being the dividing line between the two districts. The Muslim religion found its expression in the Mosques, as they were the main places of worship of the Ottoman community.

The largest and chronologically latest Mosque among them, as well as the most significant, was the Yeni Djami (Mosque), which was founded by the Nazir[1] of Mytilene, Mustafa Ağa Kulaksız, in the area of Epano Skala (approximately in the middle of present-day Ermou street), in the centre of the former Ottoman market. As we are informed by the surviving inscription above the main entrance, the Mosque was built between 1825 and 1826. It was part of a larger complex which included, among other buildings, the Ottoman Market Bath, the so-called Çarşi Hamam, the religious tribunal (mekheme), the seminary (medrese) of Hadji Mehmed Ağa, the residence of the mufti[2] with a complex of public drinking fountains on the ground floor, etc. It had a large paved courtyard to the north, with two separate gates – one for the men to the west and one for the women to the east – and a second courtyard (with further outbuildings) to the south, intended for the preparation of the dead before burial.

The formerly domed and cross-shaped building measured approximately 17 x 18 m. and had a rectangular floor plan, combining elements of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture. Most of the building was made of stone and was reinforced in places with timber work, while its roof was made of cinder blocks and wood, thus considerably reducing its weight. A double marble staircase led to the exonarthex of the elevated Mosque, which was arranged in the form of a six-arched portico, along the entire 17 m. length of the north side. In particular, it was covered by an archway made up of eight monolithic columns with tectonic capitals and nine brick arches, five on the front and two on the narrow sides, which retained four hemispherical vaults on either side of the central arched entrance. A low marble balustrade/parapet, in the form of a plaque, adorned the mullions, between the tall, gracile bases of the columns. The wall on the north façade of the Mosque, above the main entrance to the exonarthex, was decorated with a sculpted miniature representation of the Mosque and was made of tuff. The particularly elaborate carved wood doorway consisted of two painted panels, of which only one is preserved to this day. The entrance was followed by the inner narthex from which two symmetrical stone staircases provided access to the loft/women’s quarters. Access to the loft was also possible from the external monumental stone staircase in the northeast corner of the building. The floor of the Mosque was lined with tuff slabs and a wooden covering/planking, while the impressive mihrab[3], once adorned with elaborate plaster reliefs and a lavish fresco decoration with geometric and floral motifs, dominated the middle area of the southeastern side. The roofing of the Mosque was achieved with a wooden hemispherical dome (lined with mortar and plaster), which was retained by four gracile, grey, stone columns (topped with pseudo-Corinthian capitals), with four large, semi-circular arches and a further lattice of smaller bows and metal tractors for support. As a general rule, the windows of the Mosque were arched – with the exception of the square windows of the loft and the oval skylights – and were protected by iron railings. Their sides were clad in white or grey marble. The minaret of the Mosque, originally 30 m. in height, was located in the northwest corner and its entrance was in the western part of the women’s quarters. Today, only its tall square base is preserved. Its upper end would have a cylindrical shape and its roof a hemispherical vault.

Today, the preserved parts of the building exceed the height of 12 m. in some places. Almost all of the decoration has perished while the domed roof of the Mosque and most of the minaret have long collapsed. Conservation and restoration work was carried out by the Archaeological Service in the past, and more specifically in 2000, with the aim of preserving and restoring the monument as far as possible.

 

[1] Title of office in the Ottoman administration.

[2] Hieratic rank in the Muslim religion / the interpreter of the Qur’an.

[3] The semi-circular sacred niche in Muslim mosques.

Location

Municipality: Mytilene

Municipal Section: Mytilene

Location: Ermou Street, Mytilene market.

Images

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