By Ayhan Mehmet
KOMOTINI, Greece (AA) – The Hamza Bey Mosque, one of the oldest Ottoman-era mosques in Greece, will be restored, local media reported Thursday.
The restoration of the mosque in the northern port city of Thessaloniki will be completed by 2025 and cost over €10.5 million ($11.5 million), said public broadcaster ERT, citing Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.
It is part of a wider program of restoration and promotion of the monumental inventories of Thessaloniki of all historical periods, it added.
The Hamza Bey Mosque is the oldest Islamic religious building in Thessaloniki and is located at the intersection of Egnatia and Venizelou streets. It was built in 1467/1468 by the daughter of the Ottoman military commander Hamza Bey.
It has been protected by law as a historical and archaeological monument since 1926.
*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk