Зараз – музей грецького народного мистецтва Now a museum of Greek folk art

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The mosque in Monastiraki Square was built in 1759 by the governor of Athens, Mustafa Agha Tsisdarakis. It was formerly known as the Mosque of the Lower Fountain, after the fountain that stood nearby, while the entire area was known as the Lower Bazaar and was the nerve center of the city during Ottoman times. Tradition has it that its construction used limestone that came from columns, probably from Hadrian's Library. The incident caused a public outcry, as it was widely believed that the destruction of antiquities had caused a deadly epidemic, which resulted in Tsisdarakis being fined and deported from the city.
The building has a square layout and consists of rooms on two levels, of which those at the level of the square and the adjacent streets are now used as shops. The mosque occupies the second level and consists of a large square prayer hall with an open colonnade on the west side, which can be reached by stairs on the south side. During the first reconquest of Athens (1822-1826), the building hosted community meetings, and after the establishment of the Greek state, the mosque was used for various purposes, such as military barracks, a prison and a warehouse.
Of particular interest are the depictions of the monument by 19th-century travelers, which provide information about the building and reflect the atmosphere that prevailed in its surroundings, where there was usually lively commercial traffic. In 1915 it was restored by Anastasios Orlandos, and in 1918 it housed the Museum of Greek Crafts, later the Museum of Cosmetic Art, and since 1959 the Museum of Greek Folk Art, to which the building was given and is today its extension. The monument has housed since 1975 a rich collection of ceramics donated by Professor V. Kyriazopoulos.