The Monument

 

 The Tzisdarakis Mosque closes temporarily

 

In 1759, one the five mosques of Athens, the Mosque of Tzisdarakis or Mosque of the Lower Fountain, as it is called, was build at Monastiraki Square, the heart of the town’s market area at the time. The Mosque served as a place of worship for only a few decades.

After the establishment of the Modern Greek State, the building was used for various purposes until 1918, when the State decided to restore it in order to house the newly established museum of Greek Folk Art.

In 1973, the main collections of the Museum were transferred to new facilities and the Mosque at Monastiraki Square housed the prominent pottery collection donated by professor V. Kyriazopoulos. After the earthquakes of 1981 the building was renovated and the Kyriazopoulos collection is displayed in a new re-designed exhibition.