Mosque of the Janissaries, built 1645 in Hania, Crete, Greece.

See Mosque of the Janissaries, on the Old Harbor of Hania (Chania), on the island of Crete, in Greece, Europe. Mosque of the Janissaries was built in 1645, when Hania fell to the Turks, and is the oldest Ottoman building on Crete. GREEK HISTORY: The Greek War of Independence of 1821-1829 reclaimed Ottoman Turk holdings in the Peloponnese, Sterea Ellada, and the Cyclades & Sporades Islands, but intervention by Britain, France, and Russia would set up foreign kings to control Greece on and off for generations. With Ottoman decline in the mid-1800s, the "Megali Idea (Great Idea)" of a new Greek Empire became popular for reclaiming former Byzantine Greek lands. Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 expanded Greece to include southern Macedonia, part of Thrace, more of Epiros, North-East Aegean Islands, and union with Crete. After siding with the Allies in World War I, Greece invaded Turkey as far as Ankara. But the young General Mustafa Kemal (later called Ataturk) drove the Greeks out of Anatolia. In a stressful exchange, 1.5 million Christians left Turkey and 400,000 Muslims left Greece. Greece suffered terribly under Nazi occupation in World War II due to starvation, and death camps for half the Jews. Greece's turbulent history culminated in a 1946-1949 Civil War between monarchists and democrats, where more Greeks were killed than in World War II. Despair motivated nearly a million Greeks to seek better life in Australia (Melbourne), Canada, USA (New York & Chicago), and elsewhere. After a coup by Colonels 1967-74 and later socialist rule, Greece shifted politically rightwards by 2001. Greek standard of living rose rapidly; low interest rates expanded car ownership. Greece proudly hosted the lightly attended 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, seen on worldwide TV by 3.9 billion viewers. In 2010-12, debt crisis made Greece agree to Eurozone & IMF loan rescue with harsh austerity measures.

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

Filename: 01GRE-18-02_Hania-Old-Harbor_Turkish-Mosque-of-Janissaries.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 4050x2588 / 3.8MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Balkan Peninsula Europe Greece architecture building
Contained in galleries: TURKEY: favorites, GREECE: Crete / Creta

See Mosque of the Janissaries, on the Old Harbor of Hania (Chania), on the island of Crete, in Greece, Europe. Mosque of the Janissaries was built in 1645, when Hania fell to the Turks, and is the oldest Ottoman building on Crete. GREEK HISTORY: The Greek War of Independence of 1821-1829 reclaimed Ottoman Turk holdings in the Peloponnese, Sterea Ellada, and the Cyclades & Sporades Islands, but intervention by Britain, France, and Russia would set up foreign kings to control Greece on and off for generations. With Ottoman decline in the mid-1800s, the "Megali Idea (Great Idea)" of a new Greek Empire became popular for reclaiming former Byzantine Greek lands. Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 expanded Greece to include southern Macedonia, part of Thrace, more of Epiros, North-East Aegean Islands, and union with Crete. After siding with the Allies in World War I, Greece invaded Turkey as far as Ankara. But the young General Mustafa Kemal (later called Ataturk) drove the Greeks out of Anatolia. In a stressful exchange, 1.5 million Christians left Turkey and 400,000 Muslims left Greece. Greece suffered terribly under Nazi occupation in World War II due to starvation, and death camps for half the Jews. Greece's turbulent history culminated in a 1946-1949 Civil War between monarchists and democrats, where more Greeks were killed than in World War II. Despair motivated nearly a million Greeks to seek better life in Australia (Melbourne), Canada, USA (New York & Chicago), and elsewhere. After a coup by Colonels 1967-74 and later socialist rule, Greece shifted politically rightwards by 2001. Greek standard of living rose rapidly; low interest rates expanded car ownership. Greece proudly hosted the lightly attended 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, seen on worldwide TV by 3.9 billion viewers. In 2010-12, debt crisis made Greece agree to Eurozone & IMF loan rescue with harsh austerity measures.