First Muslim prayer after 90 years at Yeni Mosque

First Muslim prayer was performed after 90 years at Yeni Mosque in Thessaloniki city of Greece. A group of students from Medrese-i Hayriye school of Komotini, who visited Thessaloniki, performed a noon prayer on Saturday at the mosque by receiving a special permit from Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris. Nearly 50 students performed their prayer at the mosque which has been closed to worship since 1923 and now used as an exhibition hall. Yeni Mosque was built by Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli in 1902 during Ottoman period. Turkish Consul General in Thessaloniki Tugrul Biltekin told AA that for the first time, Muslims had worshipped in a mosque in the region since population exchange (1923), adding that this was a historical development.