Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1453 (
fethiye
means “conquest” in Turkish). There's a fine, porticoed entrance but,
sadly, you can't see inside the restored building, as it's used as an archeological
warehouse. Outside the Forum site at the corner of Eólou, more or less opposite the
Tower of the Winds, the gateway and single dome of a
medresse
, an Islamic school,
survive. During the last years of Ottoman rule and the early years of Greek
independence, this building was used as a prison and was notorious for its harsh
conditions; a plane tree in the courtyard was used for hangings. The prison was closed
in the 1900s and the bulk of it torn down.
For more on
Ottoman Athens
, check out also the Turkish baths (see below), the
nearby ceramic collection of the Museum of Greek Folk Art (p.78) and the Benáki
Museum of Islamic Art (p.87).
1
The Turkish baths
Kirístou 8 • Mon & Wed-Sun 9am-2.30pm • €2 •
W
melt.gr • Metro Monastiráki
Close to the Fethiye Mosque is another Ottoman survival, the site of the
Turkish baths
.
Constructed in the 1450s, the baths were in use, with many later additions, right up to
1965. Newly restored, they now offer an insight into a part of Athens' past that is rarely
glimpsed and well worth a look. Traditionally, the baths would have been used in shifts
by men and women, although expansion in the nineteenth century provided the separate
facilities you see today. The
tepidarium
and
caldarium
, fitted out in marble with domed
roofs and rooflights, are particularly beautiful. The underfloor and wall heating systems
have been exposed in places, while upstairs there are photos and pictures of old Athens.
Labelling throughout is in Greek only, but an audio tour is available (€1, plus deposit).
The Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments
Dhioyénous 1-3 • Tues & Thurs-Sun 10am-2pm, Wed noon-6pm • Free • Metro Monastiráki
he
Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments
traces the history of virtually every
type of musical instrument that has ever been played in Greece. It's all attractively
displayed in a fine mansion, with drums and wind instruments of all sorts (from crude
bagpipes to clarinets) on the ground floor, lyras, fiddles, lutes and a profusion of stringed
instruments upstairs. In the basement there are more percussion and toy instruments.
Reproductions of frescoes show the Byzantine antecedents of many instruments, and
headphones are provided for sampling the music made by the various exhibits.
he museum
shop
has an excellent selection of CDs for sale, concentrating, not
surprisingly, on traditional Greek music.
Monastiráki and Psyrrí
Monastiráki
, to the north of Pláka, is substantially less touristy than its neighbour,
though there are still plenty of sights and extensive opportunities for eating, drinking
and shopping. The area gets its name from the little monastery church (
monastiráki
) on
central
Platía Monastirakíou
. The square, with its handy metro station, marks a return to
the traffic and bustle of commercial Athens; full of fruit stalls, street performers, lottery
vendors and kiosks. This neighbourhood has been a marketplace since Ottoman times,
and it still preserves, in places, a bazaar atmosphere. The main market (see p.82) lies
straight up Athinás from here, towards Omónia, but nearer at hand you'll see signs in
either direction that proclaim you're entering the famous
Athens Flea Market
.
Psyrrí
, northwest of Platía Monastirakíou, is a former working-class district that is
now home to Athens' busiest nightlife as well as some quirky shops. This is also a great
place to
eat and drink
: between them, Monastiráki and Psyrrí probably have more
eating places per square metre than anywhere else in Athens.
