Historic mosque opens for prayers after a century
Muslims observe Eid-al Fitr at the Yeni Mosque in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Wednesday – the first time that the early 20th century monument has been opened for prayers in more than a century. The Yeni Mosque was converted into a museum in 1925 following the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. It was ceded for a few hours by the Culture Ministry to the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs for the prayer service. Security was tight around the site, which welcomed more than 100 Muslims marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Another historic mosque, the Suleymaniye on Rhodes, was also opened for prayers on Wednesday, while Muslims in the Greek capital flocked to the new Athens Mosque in the central district of Votanikos. [Achilleas Chiras/EPA]
