The clock tower of Xanthi

The Clock tower of Xanthi (Greek: Πύργος του Ωρολογίου) is an Ottoman-era monument located in the central square of the town of Xanthi, in northern Greece (region of Western Thrace).

Description

It was built in 1859 by a rich Muslim local named Hadji Emin Agha, as part of his tribute to the central mosque of the town.[1] The clock tower was part of the market mosque complex, which had been renovated in 1938 losing thus its original design due to the art deco additions.[2] In 1941 during the occupation of the area by the Bulgarian troops, it was partially destroyed, an in 1972 (during the control of a military junta) it was decided to demolish the monument, but after the intervention of the Mufti of Xanthi, the decision was abandoned.[3] During the same period a marble inscription in Arabic text was removed from the monument and destroyed in retaliation for the removal of signs from Greek schools in Istanbul.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Μνημείο ο Πύργος του Ρολογιού Ξάνθη". archaiologia.gr. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  2. ↑ "Το Ρολόι της Ξάνθης" [The Clock of Xanthi]. www.xanthinea.gr (in Greek). Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Mosques in Western Thrace". Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 2009-07-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  4. ↑ Hirschon, Renée (2004). Crossing the Aegean : an appraisal of the 1923 compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Νέα Υόρκη: Berghahn Books. p. 107. ISBN 978-1571815620.
  5. ↑ {Tsitselikis, Konstantinos (2012). Old and new Islam in Greece: from historical minorities to immigrant newcomers. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 511. ISBN 978-9004221529.

41°8′23″N 24°53′15″E / 41.13972°N 24.88750°E / 41.13972; 24.88750

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