Ibrahim Khan Mosque
The Ibrahim Khan Mosque is a landmark in the city of Rethymno, inside the Fortezza fortress, among other important buildings and next to the Episcopal Palace.
The Ibrahim Khan Mosque, originally, was built as a cathedral, but it was completely destroyed during the raid of 1571. The new cathedral was founded in the square that existed on that spot in spring of 1583 by the Latin bishop Chiapone and was dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas).
During the Turkish occupation and particularly in 1648, the church was converted into a mosque dedicated to Ibrahim Khan, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and an oversized dome with 11m base diameter was added. The unique architectural element that indicates the former existence of the Venetian church is the angular extensions in the northern and the western corners of the building.
The Ibrahim Khan Mosque is a square structure with spherical triangles that are formed in the corners by the arcs of the four walls.
The Prayer niche, the “Mihrab”, is located on the southeast side of the mosque with the semi-conical coverage decorated with relief “stalactites”.
In the outer northwestern corner of the mosque you can see the remnants of the base of minaret that once stood there.
The Ibrahim Khan Mosque has been restored by the 28th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities and today it is used to host cultural events.
There are two more churches nearby the Mosque, the church of Agia Aikaterini (St Katherine) and Agios Theodoros Trichinas.
