Kucuk Hasan Mosque — Attraction in Municipality of Chania

Crete was one of my ultimate bucket list destinations, and I spent a lot of money expecting an incredible experience. But after arriving, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It reminded me of Cartagena, Colombia—a city with no ancient civilization—yet somehow, Crete, with its immense historical and cultural significance, feels even more neglected.

The landscapes and historical sites are stunning, but many buildings are crumbling, and there’s little sign of renovation or investment. It’s hard to believe this is an EU country. How did Greece, and especially Crete, end up like this? Why is such a legendary place being left to decay?

Even Zeus, King Minos, and Emperor Augustus—who once had influence over Crete—would laugh at this situation. Would they ever have imagined that Crete, a place that once stood at the heart of Western civilization, would fall behind a city like Cartagena?

And what would Nikephoros II Phokas, the Byzantine emperor who reclaimed Crete from foreign rule, say if he saw this? He fought to bring this island back under Byzantine control, yet now it feels abandoned by its own country.

Crete has enormous potential, but without urgent restoration and investment, it will continue to deteriorate. This island...

Beautiful building that houses periodic exhibitions. Regardless of some comments, it definitely should never be turned into a mosque again, it is the remnant of a brutal occupation, whose advocates for reinstitution for prayer seem to be oblivious towards, while ironically, they destroy churches in their countries which were far older and never part of such an occupational force as the Ottomans were on Crete, while at the same time saying that Greece is destroying monuments that are actually well preserved, just because they aren't used for prayer for muslims. I also love how there are some comments who want to claim that there aren't information about the building although there are many Greek written articles about it. In conclusion, the overall hypocrisy of some people is just so...

Küçük Hasan Pasha Mosque was built in honor of Küçük Hasan Pasha, the first Turkish garrison commander, after the conquest of Chania by the Ottomans. It has a cubical main building with a large onion dome, which is not used to see in Ottoman Architecture. It is an interesting building only in this aspect. There is nothing special inside. Its qibla remains obsolete and destroyed. Its minaret was destroyed in the 20th century and was not rebuilt.

The mosque does not have a special aspect that is worth preserving, and it is not an attractive structure on its own visually. Only when viewed holistically does it add a pleasant aura to the port. It is not open for worship today. It is used as an exhibition space. It is nice to see the port while visiting it and take pictures...