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Ibrahim Han Mosque
The Ibrahim Han Mosque (Greek: Τζαμί του Ιμπραήμ Χαν, from Turkish: İbrahim Han Camii), also known as the Sultan Ibrahim Mosque (Greek: Τζαμί του Σουλτάνου Ιμπραήμ), is a historical Ottoman mosque in the town of Rethymno, on the island of Crete, in southern Greece. Situated inside the old fortezza of Rethymno, the mosque was originally built as a church by the Venetians but converted into a mosque following the island's conquest at the hands of the Ottomans. Today it functions as an exhibition center. History It was built on the site of the Venetian Cathedral, a church built around 1583-85 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas.[1] The Venetians transferred the cathedral seat to the fortezza after the previous church was completely destroyed[2] during the 1571 invasion.[3] In 1585, the successor bishop Carrara refused to hold masses in the church, claiming that it was not adequately equipped and the space was too narrow.[3] Very shortly after the town of Rethymno was conquered by the Ottomans, they demolished the church and built the mosque, dedicated to Sultan Ibrahim I in 1648, with a large, imposing dome.[1][4] The complaed became property of the city of Rethymno in 1971; it was restored between 2002 and 2004 by the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, and now it is used as an exhibition center.[5] ArchitectureThe mosque's dome is 11 metres in diameter, and rests on eight arches.[3][1] Today, the spherical triangles formed in the corners from the arches on its four walls can still be seen, and so does the arch above the entrance.[2] Furthermore, the mihrab with its elaborate relief designs and the base of the demolished minaret inside the building are also still visible.[2] The minaret, which once stood on the northwestern corner of the church/mosque,[3] collapsed at the beginning of the twentieth century, and was never rebuilt.[6] See alsoReferences
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