43. Sunne Mosque
Brief documentation:
The Sunne mosque is located in the district of the same name, which was the residence of Ottoman administrative officials. According to information from a codex of the 17th-18th century, the mosque was erected sometime in the second half of the 17th century, in a place where a mescit may have existed before (a place of prayer without a minaret).
The entrance to the courtyard of the mosque, where there is a fountain for the ritual washing before the prayer, is through a propylon, made of local stone.
The main building of the mosque is a small-scale stone-built square prayer hall with an entrance area. In recent years, a simple construction has been added along the entire length of the northwest façade of the original mosque building to create an additional prayer space.
In the central hall is the wall of the qibla (heading towards the Kaaba in Mecca) with the mihrab (semicircular niche), shaped with drops and embossed, plaster, colored perimeter decorations with strong baroque influences, which were created at a later stage.
The interior of the mosque is covered with a low dome of wooden construction. The women's loft is on an elevated level.
On the west side of the mosque lies the minaret (tower-like structure from where the call to prayer was made), made of white marble. On its outer side there is a dedicatory inscription, which includes an excerpt from the Quran and the year 1888, in which expansion works were carried out.
The courtyard of the mosque was significantly reduced at the end of the 19th century, when the expansion works of the building were carried out.
The mosque is open 5 times a day during prayer.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS INTEREST
History:
The Sunne mosque is located in the district of the same name, which was the residence of Ottoman administrative officials. We do not know the exact date of its foundation. According to information we derive from a codex of the 17th – 18th century, the mosque must have been erected sometime in the second half of the 17th century on a site where a mescit may have existed before. The Sunnet mosque is part of a large building complex, which included a medrese (school) as well as an independent building in the shape of a Π, the original use of which remains unknown to this day. Three phases are identified in the final configuration of the mosque, which is confirmed by the existence of three distinct morphological units in the architecture of the building.
Elements of architecture:
The main building of the mosque is a small-scale stone structure, which includes a square vaulted prayer hall with an entrance area. At a higher level above there is the women's loft. Inside the mosque, just opposite the main entrance there is the wall of the qibla facing southeast. There is the mihrab niche which is shaped with drops and embossed, plaster, colored perimeter decorations with strong baroque influences, which were created at a later stage. The interior of the mosque is covered with a low dome of wooden construction. On the left side of the façade there is a smaller mihrab, of extremely austere construction, the existence of which is an indication that at that point there was an outdoor prayer area. This hypothesis is also supported by the existence of four stone bases
from the support columns of the shed, which are located on the left side of the entrance of the mosque in front of the fountain area. On the west side of the building there is the minaret. It is made of white marble, with carved full-length wedge-shaped steps. On its outer side there is a dedicatory inscription, which includes an excerpt from the Quran and the year 1888, in which expansion works were carried out. The mosque originally contained a large courtyard, which was limited at a later stage by the expansion of the building. The conversion of the semi-open space into an enclosed space and its simultaneous expansion at the end of the 19th century gave a more magnificent appearance to the mosque, as it differentiated the scale and style of the building. The entrance to the courtyard of the mosque is through a propylon, which is made of local stone. In recent years, a simple construction has been added along the entire length of the northwest façade of the original mosque building to create an additional prayer space.
Description of other elements:
The Sunne mosque is located on Skiathos and 9th Merarchias Street, in the old district of Soune Mahalesi. It is a four-sided building with an elevated women's loft. The mihrab (semicircular niche in the wall of the mosque towards Mecca) is simple and bears oriental Baroque decorations. The minbar (raised platform for the Imam inside the mosque) also has simple decoration. The minaret is made of white marble and its base of gray. It is dated from the late 17th to the early 18th century. With the development of the tobacco economy, it became the mosque of the district of rich Muslims. At the end of the 19th century it evolved into an important imposing complex, with a mufti building and probably an excellent seminary, with architecture influenced by the western-style architecture of the city's tobacco warehouses.
Purpose - Use: Religious building
Characterization: Automatically protected, Competent Service: EFA of Xanthi
Dating (period): Second half of the 17th century
Year of construction: Second half of the 17th century
Location of the monument: 41.14043531274064, 24.884290903960736
Bibliographic references:
• Chryssa Melkidi The Muslim monuments of Xanthi, Technical Chamber of Greece, Athens 2007
• Manos Stefanidis, The mosques of Thrace. Introduction to the aesthetics of Islam, Miletus, Athens 2002
Address: 9th Merarchias 47 and Skiathou
Visitable: No