From 1453 with the fall of Constantinople until the revolution in 1821 Greece is under the rule of the Ottoman Turks who control the entire middle east and the Balkans as far as the gates of Vienna.
Athens fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1458. The ancient monument of Parthenon was then converted into the city's main mosque. For almost 400 years, Athens remained under the rule of Ottomans, with that being the longest non-Hellenic power since the Romans.
By the 17th century Athens was little more than a village. At that time, great damage was caused to the city and its monuments. The Turks began a practice of storing gun powder and explosives in the Parthenon and Propylea. Propylea was destroyed in 1640, when a lighting bolt struck it, while Parthenon was severely damaged during the Morean War, when Athens was besieged by the Venetians and a shot fired caused a powder magazine to explode, giving Parthenon the appearance it has today. The occupation of the Acropolis continued for another 6 months and a lot of ancient monuments were destroyed. Between 1801 and 1805 Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, arranged the removal of many sculptures from the Parthenon. Along with the Panathenaic frize, one of the six caryatids of the Erechtheion was extracted and replaced with a plaster mold. Fifty pieces of sculpture were carried away, including three fragments purchased by French. The "Elgin Marbles" as they're also called is a "thom" for the Greeks, who have been trying for decades to take them back. Tourists do have the chance to admire the Greek masterpieces, but unfortunately not in their birthplace. The new Acropolis Museum which opened its gates in 2009 is a modern museum and one more reason for which Greek people and politicians insist on taking back the marbles, since we do have now the infrastracture to preserve them, but undoublty the right to have our cultural fortune here as well.
In 1822, a Greek insurgency captured the city, but it fell to the Ottomans again in 1826. Again the ancient monuments suffered badly. Partially funded by Lord Byron, the Greeks continued to fight, but the Ottoman forces remained in possession until 1833, when they withdrew. Athens was chosen to be the capital of the newly established kingdom of Greece. At that time, the city was virtually uninhabited, being merely a cluster of buildings at the foot of the Acropolis, where the Plaka district is now.
Athens fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1458. The ancient monument of Parthenon was then converted into the city's main mosque. For almost 400 years, Athens remained under the rule of Ottomans, with that being the longest non-Hellenic power since the Romans.
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| The southern part of Parthenon, which sustained considerable damage during the explosion of a powder magazine in 1687 |
By the 17th century Athens was little more than a village. At that time, great damage was caused to the city and its monuments. The Turks began a practice of storing gun powder and explosives in the Parthenon and Propylea. Propylea was destroyed in 1640, when a lighting bolt struck it, while Parthenon was severely damaged during the Morean War, when Athens was besieged by the Venetians and a shot fired caused a powder magazine to explode, giving Parthenon the appearance it has today. The occupation of the Acropolis continued for another 6 months and a lot of ancient monuments were destroyed. Between 1801 and 1805 Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, arranged the removal of many sculptures from the Parthenon. Along with the Panathenaic frize, one of the six caryatids of the Erechtheion was extracted and replaced with a plaster mold. Fifty pieces of sculpture were carried away, including three fragments purchased by French. The "Elgin Marbles" as they're also called is a "thom" for the Greeks, who have been trying for decades to take them back. Tourists do have the chance to admire the Greek masterpieces, but unfortunately not in their birthplace. The new Acropolis Museum which opened its gates in 2009 is a modern museum and one more reason for which Greek people and politicians insist on taking back the marbles, since we do have now the infrastracture to preserve them, but undoublty the right to have our cultural fortune here as well.
In 1822, a Greek insurgency captured the city, but it fell to the Ottomans again in 1826. Again the ancient monuments suffered badly. Partially funded by Lord Byron, the Greeks continued to fight, but the Ottoman forces remained in possession until 1833, when they withdrew. Athens was chosen to be the capital of the newly established kingdom of Greece. At that time, the city was virtually uninhabited, being merely a cluster of buildings at the foot of the Acropolis, where the Plaka district is now.