Fethiye Mosque, Athens

Just a stone’s throw from the Roman Forum, you’ll stumble upon one of Athens’ rare reminders of the Ottoman era. Enter the Fethiye Mosque, the city's oldest, built in 1458 atop the ruins of an 8th-century Byzantine basilica. It was commissioned by none other than Sultan Mehmet II himself—yes, the same guy who conquered Constantinople in 1453. Clearly a multitasker, he also had an appreciation for ancient Greek philosophers. The mosque’s name, “Fethiye,” means “conquest” in Turkish, but the Athenians, not exactly thrilled about their occupiers, skipped the history lesson and called it the Wheatmarket Mosque—because, well, there was a wheat market next door. Practical folks, those Athenians...

Fast-forward to the Morean War (in 1687-1688), when the Venetians briefly took over Athens and decided the mosque would make a great Catholic church dedicated to Dionysius the Areopagite. That didn’t last long, and by the early 19th century, after Greek independence, the minaret was taken down. The building then embarked on a very non-religious second life—first as a school, then as a barracks, then a military prison, and for a grand finale… a military bakery. Indeed, why not—nothing says “re-purposing” like fresh bread.

Today, the mosque still stands with its grand porticoed entrance, though you can’t go inside—it's now an archaeological storage facility (which is historian-speak for “off-limits”). But if you cross Eólou Street, right across from the Roman Forum, you’ll spot what’s left of a medrese (an Ottoman-era Islamic school), complete with a gateway and a single dome that have somehow outlasted centuries of change. A quiet reminder that history, much like Athens itself, is full of unexpected twists.