Being Visible Invisible: The Case of Thessaloniki’s Ottoman Monuments
Being Visible Invisible: The Case of Thessaloniki’s Ottoman Monuments

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the methods and generative forces that led the Ottoman monuments of Thessaloniki to become invisible, as if they had stood still and gone unnoticed for almost the entire twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. Initially, a brief definition and description of the notion of monuments are presented, and the presentation then proceeds with a list of Ottoman monuments in Thessaloniki from the end of the sixteenth century to the present. Within this scope, an attempt is being made to record the listed monuments on the official platform of the Ministry of Culture, in parallel with an effort to decode the term ‘post-byzantine’ and the reasoning behind its adoption and use. Further, the reasons for the destruction and neglect of Ottoman monuments are outlined in terms of nationalisation and hellenisation. Finally, there are some final remarks on the transition towards recognition and a new negotiation with Thessaloniki’s past and its remains, which have become evident over the last ten to twenty years.

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