Yeni Mosque (Yeni Cami)

The Yeni Mosque, the largest and most important of the Mosques of Mytilene(THE 10 BEST Lesbos Sights & Historical Landmarks to Visit (tripadvisor.com),. It is located on Ermou Street, in the part where the Turkish residents of the city had their shops before the exchange of populations, in 1923. It was built by Naziris (something similar to local minister of the Ottoman Empire) of Mytilene Mustafa Aga Koulaxizis, in 1825.The whole building is made of stone and was covered with a tiled dome, combining elements of Byzantine and Ottoman style. Its height exceeds 10 meters (without the height of the roof and dome).

The location

Regarding the Yeni Mosque, it is mentioned that there was an ancient stadium in its place. It is probably built on an older mosque with the names Mescid or Çarşı Cami (ÇARŞI CAMİİ | Kültür Portalı (kulturportali.gov.tr). The Yeni Mosque had a huge symbolic character for Muslims. There were located the Hierodicistatio (mehkemes) and the Ottoman Primary School for Boys. It had a large yard and the main door opened onto the market. Next to the Mosque, inside the courtyard was the house of the Mufti of Mytilini, as well as a fountain and fountains. Near the Yeni Mosque, Ottoman baths with many domes (Charsi Hamam) are also preserved.

Built with stones from Asia Minor

This is where the “common secret” of Saint Therapondas and Yeni Jami is hidden! Like the Christian temple, the minaret of Yeni Mosque, with a height of 30 meters was built with large heavy hewn stones from the Sarmusak quarry in Ayvali (Aivali: A Story of Greeks and Turks in 1922 by Soloup review – a moving graphic novel | Comics and graphic novels | The Guardian. Unfortunately, since 1937 its minaret has been demolished for the most part and today its height is only 12 meters.

Its usage

The Yeni Mosque is used as a place of worship by the Muslims of Mytilene, like all mosques. The Mihrab, the corresponding Christian shrine, is oriented towards the Kaaba, in Mecca, the center of the Muslim faith.