Hamza Bey Mosque/ Alkazar

Hamza Bey Mosque, also known as "Alkazar" movie theatre, is the oldest mosque in the city.

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What I can see

It is the oldest mosque in the city. During the redevelopment of the mosque, two domed, rectangular buildings on the north and south sides and a peripheral collonade with early-Christian capitals were added, forming a courtyard. Also, during its newest repair in the 20th century, due to static problems caused by the earthquake of 1902, building interventions altered its form. The interior is decorated with murals and stalactites. The earthquake of 1978 caused serious damage. Now it’s being completely restored on the occasion of the “Venizelos” metro station’s construction.

What I can't see

It was built by the daughter of Hamza Bey, an official of Sultan Murad II, in order to honour her father-hence the name of the mosque. Originally, it did not have a minaret because it was a quarter’s mosque. During its expansion however (16th century), a minaret was constructed, which no longer exists. With the integration of Thessaloniki to Greece and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey years later, shops opened on the mosque space. After the war, the “Alkazar” cinema operated in its yard, screening mainly Greek dramas and in recent years –before it shut its doors in the 1980s– even pornographic films.

Info

Address: Egnatias & Venizelou St.

Bibliography

Mazower M., (2006), Θεσσαλονίκη. Πόλη των φαντασμάτων, χριστιανοί, μουσουλμάνοι και εβραίοι 1430- 1950, [Salonica. City of ghosts], Athens: Alexandreia Publications

Athanasiou F., Zygomalas D., Koniordos V., Makri E., Steriotou I., (2009), Περίπατοι Κληρονομιάς στη Θεσσαλονίκη, [Heritage walks in Thessaloniki], Municipality of Thessaloniki

Davilla F., (2012) Hamza Bey Τζαμί (Αλκαζάρ) Θεσσαλονίκης. Αποτίμηση κατασκευαστικών φάσεων φέροντος οργανισμού. Μη γραμμική ανάλυση με το πρόγραμμα ADINA. [Hamza Bey Mosque (Alkazar) of Thessaloniki. Evaluation of construction phases of a bearing organization. Non-linear analysis with ADINA program], Disertation, A.U.Th.

Zafeiris Ch., (1997), Θεσσαλονίκης Εγκόλπιον, ιστορία, πολιτισμός, η πόλη σήμερα, γεύσεις, μουσεία, μνημεία, διαδρομές, [Thessaloniki Handbook, history, culture, the city today, flavours, museums, routes], Athens: Exantas

Ζafeiris Ch., (2014), Θεσσαλονίκη, η παρουσία των απόντων, η κληρονομιά Ρωμαίων, Μουσουλμάνων, Εβραίων, Ντονμέδων, Φράγκων, Αρμενίων και Σλάβων, [Thessaloniki, the presense of the absent, the heritage of Romans, Muslims, Jews, Doenme, Franks, Armenians and Slavs], Thessaloniki: Epikentro

Ζafeiris Ch., (2006), Θεσσαλονίκης τοπιογραφία, [Thessaloniki’s landscape], Thessaloniki: Epikentro

Kourkoutidou- Nikolaidou E., Tourta A., (1997), Περίπατοι στη Βυζαντινή Θεσσαλονίκη, [Walks in the Byzantine Thessaloniki], Athens: Kapon publications

Location

Timeline

Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )

1923 It housed military services and a telegraph office.

1926 Listed.

1928 It was auctioned by the National Bank, to which it belonged, and passed into private ownership.

1977 Donated to the Red Cross. A year later, it suffered significant damage from an earthquake.

2006 It became property of the Ministry of Culture.