Monastiraki is one of the most popular districts of Athens, a tourist's must visit area that is located next to the Acropolis Rock. It is essentially part of the Ancient Agora and today is one of the most popular places in the center of Athens, both for the foreign and the Greek visitors of the region.
Sources reveal and remnants of buildings show, the meeting and harmonious co-existence of diverse cultures and religions in the region.
Monastiraki has a central square from which it took its name. However, the square was named after the church that is built there and named Monastiraki. The stoned church was erected during the Frankish Empire by Nicholas Bonefatsis who was the owner and was dedicated to the Panagia Pandanassa as a catholic church. In the 17th century it passes as a dependency of the Monastery of Panagia Kaisariani and converted to an orthodox church. Until today it remains orthodox and is a parish church.
It is the crossroad between two of the main streets in modern Athens' market, Ermou street and Athena's street.
Tzistaraki Mosque can also be found in Monastiraki Square, residue of centuries of Turkish presence in Greece. Made in 1759 when Commander of Athens was Mustafa Agha Tzistarakis. It is also known as The Mosque of the fountain or the Lower Bazaar Mosque because of its proximity to the market. Tradition says that the construction material used to create the lime needed was taken from one of the columns of the temple of Olympian Zeus, however eventually the column used was probably from the Hadrian's Library. Indeed all this is connected with the myth that every column from the temple of Zeus was bound with a curse, which resulted in the outbreak of famine in the city, and the break of the curse came after the assassination of voivode Tzistarakis.
After the Revolution of 1821, the mosque was used only as a building for meertings and meeting rooms. In 1834 it was used as a ballroom in honor of King Otto and has since been used in many ways up to 1915 when it was converted into a permanent exhibition of the Museum of Greek Art. Since 1971, however, it hosts only a collection of pottery and since 1991 operates as a museum for the public.
On the north side of Monastiraki is the Roman Agora or with a different name Agora of Caesar Augustus, built in the 1st century AD from the Athenians on the east side of the Ancient Greek Agora. Well known monuments are the Gate of Athena Archigitidos located on the west side of the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds which was a water clock, located in the eastern side of the Roman Agora and built by the astronomer Andronicus. A little further west from the Roman Agora is the Hadrian's Library. Both areas are still preserved by the First Ephorate of Antiquities and are under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture. They are open to the public.
Abyssinia Square is the second square in Monastiraki area, which has become a meeting place of many cultures, particularly as a place of trade. It's been known for over a century for the flea market which has the name giousouroum, which derives from Noah Giesouroum or Giousouroum a very popular person to the Athenians of this area. He was a Jewish who moved from Smyrni in 1863 with his family in the area of Monastiraki as a seller in the flea market. Monastiraki was the site for many coreligionists but generally a multicultural area consisted of families who differed culturally and religiously. For the record, the name Abyssinia, derived from the former name of Ethiopia, Abyssinia.
Monastiraki is easily accessible by the overground train or the Monastiraki metro station, line 1 and 3.