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Bab Gedid Mosque

Coordinates: 36°53′28″N 27°17′10″E / 36.89111°N 27.28611°E / 36.89111; 27.28611
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The surviving minaret in 2019.

The Bab Gedid Mosque, also known as the Eski Mosque (Greek: Εσκί Τζαμί, from Turkish: Eski Camii, meaning "old mosque") was an Ottoman-period mosque on the Aegean island of Kos, in southeastern Greece, before it was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1933 and finally demolished a few years later in 1935. Today its octagonal stone minaret is all that survives from the mosque.

History

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According to some plausible—but far from certain—speculations the Bab Gedid Mosque was built in 1586,[1] a few decades after the island's conquest by the Ottomans; if true, that would make the surviving minaret the oldest Ottoman monument on the island.[2] Some more moderate suggestions place its construction (and with certainty its renovation) in 1777 at the end of the bazaar, funded by Mourabit Hadji Moustafa Agha and his wife.[3]

It was located on the hill of the citadel in what is today the Diagoras Square, at the far end of the then-Muslim quarter of Kos town, which was densely built. To the eastofthe old mosque stood the outdoor fountain which was used for washing before the prayer, as well as a small cemetery.[4] Its name, Bab Gedid, means "mosque of the new gate," and it was also known as Yeni Kapı Mosque (meaning the same).[1]

The mosque was damaged badly in an earthquake in 1933, and then demolished around 1935, except for its minaret, in order to implement the new town plan.[4]

Architecture

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The minaret, the sole surviving element of the Old Mosque, stands tall at 11.35 metres in height, with access from inside; it was erected in an octagonal shape, and it was built on its mosque's northwestern side, in contact with the rest of the structure.[4] In the courtyard a fountain was erected, built on the north side of the minaret, which bears inscription regarding the mosque, giving 1586 as the year of its construction.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kaymakçı & Özgün 2018, p. 189.
  2. ^ "ΜΟΥΣΟΥΛΜΑΝΙΚΑ ΜΝΗΜΕΙΑ ΠΟΛΗΣ ΚΩ" [Muslim Monuments of Kos Town]. aegeanislands.gr (in Greek). Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Konuk 2008, p. 78–79.
  4. ^ a b c d "Eski Mosque". discoveringkos.com. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

Bibliography

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36°53′28″N 27°17′10″E / 36.89111°N 27.28611°E / 36.89111; 27.28611