Valide Sultan Mosque in Rethymno

The Valide Sultan Mosque in Rethymno was established after the Ottoman Conquest of Rethymno in 1646. The mosque is likely a converted Venetian church, as can be seen from its rectangular structure, which is typical of Venetian churches on Crete. The two domes and single minaret of the structure were added after its conversion into a mosque. As of 2023, it is not possible to visit the mosque, although the minaret can be seen over the skyline of Rethymno. The title 'Valide Sultan' refers to the mother of the Sultan (Kösem Sultan, the mother of Sultan Ibrahim). At the time of its construction, the Valide Sultan Mosque featured prominently just inside the main gate to the Old Town of Rethymno. According to Evliya Celebi, an Ottoman traveller who visited Crete ca. 1668, the Valide Sultan Mosque was associated with the Valide Mosque Imaret (soup kitchen) as well as a dervish lodge (Book 8, vol. 1, pp. 379-381.)