Mosque of Kara Mousa Pasha
The Mosque of Kara Mousa Pasha in Rethymno prefecture is a building in the Old Town of Rethymno at the junction of Arkadi and Hugo Streets. Instead of a mosque, during the Venetian period there was a monastery dedicated to Agia Varvara (Saint Barbara) at this site.
The name of the Mosque of Kara Moussa Pasha derives from the name of the Turkish Grand Admiral of the Naval Forces that invaded Rethymnon in 1646. West of the main building, there is the derelict minaret of the mosque, which is not visible from the street because of the high and dense vegetation.
At the entrance of the building there is a domed fountain that is integral to the entire mosque complex and has two sides: one side looks at the Arkadi Street and the other to the courtyard of the mosque. The entrance to the mosque is through the passage that is under the dome. The fountain served not only the needs of the faithful who had to wash before entering the Mosque of Kara Moussa Pasha, but also the water needs of the surrounding district.
In the yard of the mosque a “Türbe” stands (small vaulted mausoleum), in which the founder of the mosque might have been buried. Many Ottoman tombstones (decorated marble columns placed upon Turkish graves) still can be seen all around the yard.
Today, the Mosque of Kara Moussa Pasha is housing the maintenance workshop of 13th Ephorate of Antiquities and the site is off-limits to the public.
