The Megali Porta Mosque (Mosque of the Great Door)

The Megali Porta Mosque in Rethymno prefecture is a building in the city of Rethymno, next to the Porta Guora (Megali porta or Great Gate) located on the Tompazis street.

Dedicated to Valide Sultana, mother of Sultan Ibrahim Khan, who was the contemporary of the Rethymno’s seizure, the Megali Porta Mosque was built around 1670.  Although there was no inscription preserved or some kind of dedicational firman (royal mandate) it is known from travelers’ books that the mosque operated since that time.

Today the Megali Porta Mosque functions as storage for archaeological excavations’ findings, while the minaret, built in 1878, is visible from the square in front of the gate.