Residents of Trikala in central Greece vented their anger at the doors of a 5-century-old mosque as a “retaliation” for the decision of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
According to local media trikalanews, a group of citizens went to the mosque and threw stones at the entrance doors of Osman Shah Mosque, also known as Kursum mosque.
The Municipality of Trikala has been informed about the incident, as well as the Police Directorate of Trikala, which has undertaken the difficult task of finding the perpetrators, as well as to prevent that similar actions take place, the local media notes.
The ottoman mosque was built in 16th-century and was designed by the famous Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan, who was most possible a Greek from Cappadocia. It is the only mosque Sinan designed in Greece.
The mosque opened its doors in 1570.
It was the principal mosque in Trikala during the Ottoman occupation.
The mosque was commissioned by Osman Shah, also known as Kara Osman Pasha, who was the son of one of Sultan Selim I’s daughters and the executed vizier İskender Pasha (died 1515). Osman Shah for a long time dwelt in Trikala as the governor of the local province, the Sanjak of Trikala.
The building consists of a square prayer hall topped by a large 18 metres diameter semi-spherical dome. The portico (revak) in front, was completely rebuilt in the renovations carried out in 1998. The ashlar minaret is located on the northwestern corner and is well preserved, except for its missing roof.
All other buildings attached to the mosque such as a school (madrasah), an alms house and a caravanserai have since vanished, except for the founder’s octagonal tomb (türbe), which is used as a storage site for artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations.
The Osman Shah mosque is no longer used for worship; it now functions as a venue for minor events and is a protected UNESCO site.
What a shame and what a ridiculous childish behaviour of Nationalism and vandalism!
The Hagia Sophia was for a long time from 1453 to 1934 used as a Mosque and not destroyed.
Time changes and one day Erdogan will also be gone.
Hats off to the “most civilised” western nation.
@Ayesha the western world are the most civilized, just not perfect of course. But one thing for sure, far better than your shithole islamic countries who keep on playing the victim while being the worst criminal , especially to inter-religious issues
A terrible reflection of the character of Greeks. I hope they are a minority. It also shows the ugliness in the hearts of those objecting to the reopening of a building that was bought for the purpose of worshipping God. A display of hypocrisy and enmity. Shame on the Greeks.
@Fatima shame on your erDOGan islamist , he was the one to start the whole thing. ‘into a place of worship’? who’s worship, it was a very important historical structure especially to Greece and orthodox christians, and your dog changed it into a MOSQUE??
If you want to build mosque why have to change Hagia Sophia ? this is typical islamic bullshit of victimhood when you’re the criminal
i’ll ask you this then, if a very historical mosque is changed into a church, would you accept? let me remind you muslims that in islamic countries its very hard to impossible for some islamic countries to build a church, let alone transforming a mosque to do it
muslim hypocrites
The Aghia Sophia was the most important mosque in the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1934. Prior to that, it served as an Orthodox cathedral and then a Catholic cathedral in the Byzantine Empire. And it is obvious that it is now a mosque and not a church: what Greek church looks like that, with all its spires? Personally, I would prefer it to be left as a museum, but I doubt that it matters so much. Only Greek nationalists are bothered about it.
Whereas the wanton vandalism of a museum-piece mosque in Trikala has no comparison with a formal change of purpose of Aghia Sophia. The behaviour of whichever criminals damaged the mosque in Trikala should be your concern, because the entire civilised world (other than neo-Nazis) is not supporting Greece on this.