The Yeni Mosque in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, opened its doors for prayer for the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday, the end of Ramadan, 102 years later on Wednesday.
More than 100 Muslim worshippers entered the northern port city’s historic mosque, which had been closed since 1922.
The decision to open places of worship for Muslims for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the month of fasting, was announced by Greece’s General Secretariat of Religious Affairs. The imam, Taha Abd El-Galil, a Greek citizen of Egyptian origin, who led Muslim worshippers in prayer was selected by Greek authorities.
The service was delivered in Arabic and Greek.
The two-storey Yeni Mosque, designed by Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli in 1902, was shut down in 1922 one year before the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. It initially housed Thessaloniki’s Archaeological Museum and today is an exhibition center.
Muslims pray to celebrate the breaking of the Ramadan fast (Eid al-Fitr) at the Yeni Mosque in Thessaloniki, Greece, April 10, 2024. Konstantinos Tsakalidis / SOOC
The Suleymaniye Mosque on the island of Rhodes, built in 1522, was also granted for prayer services this week.
