Imaret (Kavala)

Historical monument and hotel in Kavala, Greece

Imaret of Kavala

Ιμαρέτ Καβάλας

The hotel today

Imaret in Greece

General information
Status| Hotel/museum
Type| Madrasa, imaret
Architectural style| Baroque Ottoman architecture
Classification| Protected monument
Address| Poulidou street 30-32, Kavala
Town or city| Kavala
Country| Greece
Coordinates| 40°56′0″N 24°24′49″E﻿ / ﻿40.93333°N 24.41361°E﻿ / 40.93333; 24.41361
Opened| 1813
Renovated| 2001
Technical details
Material| Brick, marble, stone
Design and construction
Developer| Muhammad Ali Pasha
Website
www.imaret.gr

The Kavala Imaret (Greek: Ιμαρέτ της Καβάλας) is a külliye (a type of Ottoman charitable foundation) founded by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the early 19th century, in what it was then the Ottoman Empire. The complex is located in the old town of Kavala, in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since 2004, the monument functions as a hotel. It is considered to be one of the greatest landmarks of Kavala, and among the most important Ottoman ones in Greece.

It was built in the old town of Kavala, on top of pre-existing Byzantine walls in the Panagia peninsula of the port. Its founder was Muhammad Ali, a Kavala native who later rose to be the de facto ruler of Egypt. It is a large complex, which consisted of madrasas, a mekteb (Quranic primary school), the imaret (soup kitchen), a mesjid (teaching area), a water tank and taps for washing, and several other facilities for the town's Muslim population.

## History

[edit]

Rooftop domes

### Ottoman era

[edit]

The founder of the imaret was Kavala-born Muhammad Ali Pasha, who ordered the construction of the foundation as a "gift" to his birthplace in 1813. Built just below the fortifications in the heart of the old town of Kavala, the imaret supported the educational, social and religious needs of the Muslim population of Kavala.[1] The English traveller George Frederick Abbott, who visited Kavala in 1901, described it as a "hybrid of school and kitchen."[2]

Although dedicated to traditional Islamic curriculum and sciences, the kitchens accepted all students and travellers, regardless of religion. It is one of the earliest examples of western-style school providing secular education in the Ottoman Empire, in accordance with Muhammad Ali's efforts for modernization.[1]

It used to house rare editions of Ottoman, Turkish and Persian manuscripts, dating from the 12th century; it has been suggested that those were either stolen or destroyed, though it is also claimed that perhaps, following Greco-Turkish turmoil in the 1820s, the Egyptian community transferred them to Egypt instead.[2] As time passed, the education and charity purposes of the imaret declined. It is known that the school continued to function until 1902, and the kitchen until 1923.[1]

### Greece

[edit]

Arches in the courtyard.

The imaret, along with the rest of the town of Kavala, became part of modern Greece on June 26, 1913, following the victory of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan wars.

Following the defeat of Greece in the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war and the exchange of populations between Greece and the newly founded republic of Turkey, several Greek refugees from Asia Minor arriving in Greece were housed in the imaret until as late as 1960s.[1][2] In 1954, the imaret along with the house of Muhammad Ali were declared protected historical monuments, and recognized as Egyptian waqfs by the Greek state.[1]

Following the departure of the last Greek refugees, the building fell into disarray. One of the courtyards was converted into a tavern, some cells were turned into storage areas, parts of the lead roofs were stripped down, as were the Ottoman crescents that decorated the domes. The building slowly experience decline, though its strong foundations would not let it collapse.[2]

The most crucial decision to preserve and restore the imaret however was made by Kavala resident Anna Missirian in the mid-1990s, in spite of the enormous cost and difficulties she faced in procedure. Missirian leased the imaret from the Egyptian government, as it is still part of the Egyptian waqf property in Greece. After 22 months of intensive work the restoration was finished. Since 2004, the imaret has been operating as a hotel open to all visitors.[2]

## Architecture

[edit]

Columns. Dome of the mosque.

The imaret is a large structure, around 120 metres long and with an area of 4,200 square metres.[3]

The roof of the imaret is an array of leaden domes. Soft curves and arches are also present everywhere else in the large complex: in all the bedrooms each courtyard, a polygonal-like curval rhytmn is the dominant style. The enclosed gardens also display a series of contiguous domes.[2]

Externally, from the sea side, the imaret lies on top of the old Byzantine walls of Kavala. Although the building was built during the Ottoman Baroque era, where Western influence was popular in the East, it keeps unchanged the basic principles of this architecture.[2]

The complex included a mekteb (elementary school), two madrasas (higher level colleges) and two dershane-masjids (praying halls). It has 61 rooms that used to accommodate for up to 300 students, and are now used as the suits of the hotel. It also housed two study halls, a library, and a printing press. In order to meet the religious and hygiene needs of its occupants, the imaret contained a praying hall, a hamam, a cistern and fountains.[1][4]

The multiple columns are mostly made of brick and sometimes marble. Some capitals have floral motifs. The floors are either paved or made of marble slabs. Trees, plants and moving water, gardens in general, are a self-evident image in the courtyards of Muslim buildings.

For the religious needs of the community, the imaret housed a single-dome mosque, the Muhammad Ali Pasha Mosque, fittingly named after the founder of the building. The mosque is no longer open for worship.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Imaret of Kavala
* Imaret on the walls.

* Muhammad Ali Pasha mosque.

* Entrance.

* Exterior view.

* Inscription in Arabic.

* View from the port.

## See also

[edit]

* Architecture portal
* Islam portal
* Greece portal

* Islam in Greece
* Ottoman Greece
* Ottoman architecture
* Mihrişah Sultan Complex
* Seyyid Ali Sultan Tekke

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f "Imaret History". imaret.gr. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Margarita Pournara (August 19, 2016). "Οθωμανικοί θόλοι πάνω στο βυζαντινό τείχος – Η ξεχωριστή ιστορία του Ιμαρέτ στην Καβάλα" [Ottoman domes on top of the Byzantine walls: The special history of the Imaret in Kavala]. kathimerini.gr (in Greek). Retrieved November 6, 2022.
3. ^ Stella Arabadji (September 12, 2020). "Ιμαρέτ Καβάλας: Το δώρο του Μεχμέτ Αλή στην Καβάλα" [Imaret of Kavala: Muhammad Ali's gift to Kavala]. maxmag.gr (in Greek). Retrieved November 6, 2022.
4. ^ "Ιμαρέτ" [Imaret]. visitkavala.gr (in Greek). Retrieved November 6, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Imaret Hotel (Kavala) at Wikimedia Commons

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Ottoman architecture

Historical stages|

* Early Ottoman architecture
* Classical Ottoman architecture
* Tulip Period architecture
* Ottoman Baroque architecture
* Ottoman architecture in the 19th–20th centuries
* First national architectural movement

(See also: Ottoman architectural decoration)

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Mosques|

| Istanbul|

* Altunizade Mosque
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* Bayezid II Mosque
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* Büyükdere Kara Mehmet Kethüda Mosque
* Çinili Mosque
* Dolmabahçe Mosque
* Eyüp Sultan Mosque
* Fatih Mosque
* Gazi Atik Ali Pasha Mosque
* Haseki Sultan Mosque
* Hırka-i Şerif Mosque
* Laleli Mosque
* Mahmut Pasha Mosque
* Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque
* Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Edirnekapı)
* Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Üsküdar)
* Muradiye Complex
* Murat Pasha Mosque
* Nışançı Mehmed Pasha Mosque
* Nuruosmaniye Mosque
* Ortaköy Mosque
* Piyale Pasha Mosque
* Şehzade Mosque
* Selimiye Mosque
* Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Azapkapı)
* Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Büyükçekmece)
* Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Kadırga)
* Sultanahmet Mosque
* Süleymaniye Mosque
* Vasat Atik Ali Pasha Mosque
* Yavuz Selim Mosque
* Yeni Valide Mosque (Eminönü)
* Yeni Valide Mosque (Üsküdar)
* Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque

|

Other cities|

* Ali Pasha Mosque
* Bajrakli Mosque
* Bayezid I Mosque
* Behram Pasha Mosque
* Bursa Grand Mosque
* Çapanoğlu Mosque
* Dzhumaya Mosque
* Emir Sultan Mosque
* Esmahan Sultan Mosque
* Evliya Kasim Pasha Mosque
* Ferhadija Mosque
* Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Banja Luka)
* Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Sarajevo)
* Fethiye Mosque (Athens)
* Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
* Green Mosque of Bursa (Yeşil Mosque)
* Green Mosque of İznik
* Hadum Mosque
* Haji Özbek Mosque
* Hüdavendigar Mosque
* Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
* İzzet Mehmet Pasha Mosque
* Juma-Jami Mosque
* Karađoz Bey Mosque
* Kasım Pasha Mosque
* Muradiye Complex (Bursa)
* Muradiye Mosque (Edirne)
* Murat Pasha Mosque
* Old Mosque of Edirne
* Orhan Gazi Mosque
* Osman Shah Mosque
* Selimiye Mosque
* Sinan Pasha Mosque (Prizren)
* Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Lüleburgaz)
* Sulayman Pasha Mosque
* Suleymaniye Mosque
* Tombul Mosque
* Tzistarakis Mosque
* Üç Şerefeli Mosque
* Veled-i Yaniç Mosque
* Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque

Madrasas|

* Büyük Aga Medrese
* Caferağa Medrese
* Medrese of Mehmet Şakir Paşa
* Rüstem Pasha Medrese

Türbes (tombs)|

* Green Tomb (Yeşil Türbe)
* Tomb of Abdul Hamid I
* Tomb of Hayreddin Barbarossa
* Tomb of Turhan Sultan

Caravanserais|

* Büyük Han
* Büyük Valide Han
* Büyük Yeni Han
* Hafsa Sultan Caravanserai
* Kapan Han
* Khan al-Umdan
* Khan As'ad Pasha
* Koza Han
* Kürkçü Han
* Öküz Mehmed Pasha Caravanserai
* Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Edirne)
* Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Ereğli)
* Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Erzurum)
* Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai

Hospitals|

* Complex of Sultan Bayezid II

Bridges|

* Arslanagić Bridge
* Mostar Bridge
* Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge
* Uzunköprü Bridge

Fortifications|

* Ajyad Fortress
* Anadoluhisarı
* Depedogen
* Castle of Kars
* Kilitbahir Castle
* Rumelihisarı
* Yedikule Fortress
* Kalemegdan
* Yeni-Kale

Palaces|

* Azm Palace
* Beylerbeyi Palace
* Çırağan Palace
* Dolmabahçe Palace
* Eski Saray
* Grand Serail
* Hatice Sultan Palace
* Ishak Pasha Palace
* Topkapi Palace
* Yıldız Palace

Clock towers|

* Büyük Saat
* Dolmabahçe Clock Tower
* Etfal Hospital Clock Tower
* İzmir Clock Tower
* İzmit Clock Tower
* Jaffa Clock Tower
* Nusretiye Clock Tower
* Yıldız Clock Tower

Fountains|

* Fountain of Ahmed III
* Fountain of Ahmed III (Üsküdar)
* Tophane Fountain
* Sultan Mahmut Fountain

Hammams|

* Bayezid II Hamam
* Bey Hamam
* Büyük Hamam
* Cağaloğlu Hamam
* Čifte Hammam
* Davud Pasha Hamam
* Çemberlitaş Hamamı
* Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse
* Király Baths
* Mahmut Pasha Hamam
* Ömeriye Baths
* Süleymaniye Hamam
* Tahtakale Hamam
* Rudas Baths

other monuments|

* Köprülü Library
* Mihrişah Sultan Complex
* Nilüfer Hatun Imareti
* Imaret (Kavala)

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Landmarks of Kavala

Landmarks|

* Archaeological Museum of Kavala
* Aqueduct of Kavala
* Eleftherias Square
* Halil Bey Mosque
* Imaret
* Kavala Castle
* Kavala City Hall
* Kavala Municipal Museum
* Kapnergati Square
* Lazarist Monastery
* Megali Leschi, Kavala
* Municipal Tobacco Warehouse
* Old Town of Kavala
* Philippi
* Port of Kavala
* Saint Nicholas church
* Tokos mansion
* Via Egnatia
* Wix mansion

Events|

* Kavala AirSea Show

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