Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OTTOMAN THESSALONÍKI
Despite years of neglect, the 1917 fire and the 1978 quake, Thessaloníki has quite a number of
vestiges of
Ottoman architecture
to show, mostly within walking distance of Platía
Dhikastiríon. At the eastern corner of the square itself stands the disused but well-preserved
Bey Hammam or
Parádhisos Baths
(Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 8.30am-3pm; free), the
oldest Turkish bathhouse in the city (1444) and in use until 1968. The doorway is surmounted
by elaborate ornamentation, while inside art exhibitions - often paradoxically with Byzantine
themes - are held from time to time.
To the south of Platía Dhikastiríon lies the main
Turkish bazaar area
, bounded roughly by
Egnatía, Dhragoúmi, Ayías Sofías and Tsimiskí. Much the most interesting bit, and a quiet
midtown oasis, is a grid of lanes between Ayías Sofías and Aristotélous, devoted to selling
animals, crafts and cane furniture. Nearby Ottoman monuments include the six-domed Bezesténi
or covered valuables market at the corner of Venizélou and Egnatía, now housing jewellery and
other shops. Directly opposite, on the north side of Egnatía, rather more modest stores occupy a
prominent mosque, the fifteenth-century purpose-built Hamza Bey Tzamí (most mosques in
Ottoman Thessaloníki were converted churches), now looking decidedly ramshackle.
Well to the north of Platía Dhikastiríon, beyond Áyios Dhimítrios basilica, is the seventeenth-
century
Yeni Hammam
, now a summer cinema and music venue serving basic food, and
better known as the Aigli (see p.278); the fifteenth-century Altaza Imaret, tucked away in a
quiet square diagonally opposite, sports a handsome portico and multiple domes.
museum
, with its original fixtures and an interesting selection of Atatürk memorabilia.
Due to tight security, you must apply for admission with your passport to the Turkish
consulate, next door.
4
Ayía Sofía
Between Egnatía and Platía Navarínou • Daily 7am-1pm & 5-6.30pm • Free •
T
2310 270 253
The heavily restored eighth-century church of
Ayía Sofía
is the finest of its kind in the
city. Modelled on its more illustrious namesake in Constantinople, it replaced an older
basilica, the only trace of which remains a few paces south: the below-street-level holy
well of John the Baptist, originally a Roman
nymphaeum
(sacred fountain). Ayía Sofía's
dome, 10m in diameter, bears a splendid
mosaic
of the
Ascension
, for which you'll need
binoculars. Christ, borne up to the heavens by two angels, sits resplendent on a
rainbow throne, right hand extended in blessing; below, a wry inscription quotes Acts
1:11: “Ye men of galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?” The whole is ringed by
fifteen figures: the Virgin attended by two angels, and the twelve Apostles reacting to
the miracle. The dome was restored late in the 1980s; the rest of the interior decoration
was plastered over after the 1917 fire.
Áyios Dhimítrios
Ayíou Dhimitríou; Mon 12.30-7pm, Tues-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 10.30am-8pm • Free •
T
2310 968 843
The massive yet simple church of
Áyios Dhimítrios
was conceived in the fifth century
but heavily restored subsequently. Far more impressive than the official cathedral down
at Mitropóleos, it is the de facto cathedral of the city, with pride of place in
Thessalonian hearts, and was almost entirely rebuilt after the 1917 fire. The church is
dedicated to the city's patron saint and stands on the site of his martyrdom.
As the largest basilica in Greece, its immense interior cannot fail to inspire awe. Amid
the multicoloured marble columns and vast extents of off-white plaster, six small
surviving
mosaics
, mostly on the columns flanking the altar, make an easy focal point;
of these, four date back to the church's second reconstruction after the fire of 620. The
astonishing seventh-century mosaic of
Áyios Dhimítrios Flanked by the Church's Two
Founders
, on the inside of the south (right-hand) pier beside the steps to the crypt, and
