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| The Imaret, almshouse and hostel for medressa students, built by Mehmet Ali in 1817. |
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The Imaret, which Mehmet Ali had built in 1817, on the west side of the peninsular, on the street leading to his house, and near the site of the ancient sanctuary of Athena Parthenos. An elegant, long, low series of buildings crowned by domes and chimneys, its facade is a long, plain wall punctuated by entrance halls decorated with inscriptions in Arabic script. (Turkish has only been written in the Latin script since Attaturk began his reforms in the 1920s and had the entire vocabulary transcribed acccording to the German phonetic model.) Its function was as a hostel for students of the Medressa (Muslim seminary) a few hundred metres away, as well as an almshouse for the poor of the city.
The Medressa closed after the Turks lost the Balkan wars (1912-3) and Macedonia gained its independence, but the Imaret continued to feed the poor with soup and bread until 1923.
The Imaret fell into disrepair for many years, but has recently been handsomely renovated and re-opened as a fancy restaurant. The simple elegance of this establishment provides a marked contrast to the row of more humble shops, tavernas and bars on the other side of the narrow street. They nevertheless provide good, friendly, and wallet-friendly service. Recommended.
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photos and text: © David John |
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