Muslim pilgrims rushed to the Yeni Mosque in Thessaloniki early this morning to pray, on the occasion of the end of the Ramadan fast.
The Yeni Mosque was granted by the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Education for a few hours, in order for the Muslims of the city to perform their religious duties.
From the Mosque of Athens to the Jeni Mosque
The imam of the mosque of Athens Taha Abdelgalilwho arrived in Thessaloniki for the specific ceremony, read the prayer in Arabic, preached in Arabic and Greek, spoke about the meaning of the celebration and wished health and a long life.
“We must express our gratitude to anyone who has done something good for us. All good comes from God and comes to light from the people who do it,” the imam said in his sermon and added: “We must thank these people to express our gratitude to God. As we all know, Prophet Muhammad says: He who does not please people, does not please God. In this regard, we do not forget to thank the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports and all those who helped for such an initiative that gives life to such cultural monuments and shows that there is no contradiction between being a Muslim and being a citizen. There is no contradiction between highlighting the religious heritage of Muslims and being proud of the culture of our beloved country. We thank our Greece for the facilities and services it provides to its Muslim citizens and the Muslims residing in it. Any similar effort and initiative in the future will be welcomed by us. May God protect our country, Greece, the government and the people.”
The faithful Muslims went inside and participated in the pilgrimage, while at the end of it they left, declaring themselves happy with the initiative. “I am twenty-one years old and I study at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki” said a young girl from Indonesia and added: “I feel this place warmer, I was here with my co-religionists to pray, this initiative was very good.” Kalend, a worker in a voluntary organization, originally from Syria, said he was also very pleased.
Among the pilgrims were the young Feizi from Xanthi, who completed his studies in Thessaloniki and is professionally involved in football, and his compatriot, Ismail, who has been in Thessaloniki since 1963. Both declared themselves very happy for the organization of the religious event at Jeni Mosque. “Of course we have places of worship, but it’s a very nice place here, it was a very good initiative” said Ismail and continued: “Today is a big celebration for us, like Christians have Easter. Muslim fasting is very strict and today we celebrate its end. Happy birthday to everyone and happy birthday to Greece and glory to God that we are here, it was very nice that this space was opened for Muslims”.
“Today at the Jeni Mosque, Muslims celebrated the end of the fast of the holy month of Ramadan,” said the head of the Muslim affairs department of the Ministry of Education. Maria Kyritsi and continued: “This year, it was granted by the Ministry of Culture to the General Secretariat of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education, the Jeni Mosque, which as you know is a historical monument, is protected by Greek legislation, which is perhaps the strictest in the world. We want to wish our Muslim fellow citizens a happy new year, with health and peace.”
The monument and its history
The Geni Mosque was erected in the quarter of the Towers, or Hamidiye, in the period 1900-1903, under the auspices of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, according to the plans of the Italian architect Viteliano Posseli, who had almost exclusively undertaken the architectural creations of the then modernizing person of Thessaloniki.
The building was financed by the Jews of the city, prominent Donmedes, who converted to Islam, for more than two centuries. The blending of architectural rhythms of their tradition, combined with the Muslim spirit of the area, is evident.
The Geni Mosque consists of the forecourt and the vaulted, roofed space. It has a rich interior and exterior decoration, with depictions of plant complexes, in imitation of ancient Arab works.
After the exchange of populations in 1923, the Jeni Mosque housed refugees for a short time. From 1925 to 1962 it was used as the city’s archaeological museum. In the forecourt is kept a collection of marble sculptures from the Roman era and pre-Christian times, from the area of Thessaloniki. Nowadays, the monument occasionally hosts cultural activities of the municipality of Thessaloniki.
Source: APE – MEB
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