Valide Djami, a 17th-century Muslim temple on Lesvos, will be restored under a 1.2 million euro grant from the EU regional development fund for the Aegean islands.
The mosque built in Epano Skala, the old Turkish quarter of the island, was created to honour an Ottoman sultan’s unknown “Queen mother”. It stood in the area from as early as 1615 according to an inscription on its lintel, and is the oldest known Islamic place of worship on the island.
Made of stone, the mosque has a saddle roof, and a marble three-step staircase that leads to a paved courtyard at the centre of which a polygonal engraved water fountain of white marble stood.
The internal area of the roof was once adorned in colour, however was covered in dark-coloured paint following the population exchange in 1923 that lead to the departure of Turks. The mihrab stood at six metres in height and was decorated with plaster of Paris.
The minaret features Arab architectural elements and is almost intact, however a small part of its top has fallen off. The reconstruction will include repair and support work on the minaret.
Work has already begun on the site that will house an epigraphical museum following its restoration. Visitors to the island will be able to view inscriptions from the Ottoman Period.
