In the restoration of the “Ice Cream Factory”, building in the complex of Imaret in Komotini, in the context of the conservation project of the monument and the ecclesiastical collection as well as the promotion of the surrounding area, the Ministry of Culture is proceeding, according to its announcement. The Central Archaeological Council gave a unanimous positive opinion on the additional architectural and static study.

As the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated: “The Imaret of Komotini is one of the oldest surviving Ottoman monuments in Europe. At the monument that houses the Ecclesiastical Museum, a conservation and promotion project is in progress, included in the NSRF 2014-2021 of the Region of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace. With the supplementary study, the new elements are integrated into the current project so that, on the one hand, the urgent construction problems of the “Ice Cream Factory” building can be dealt with more effectively and in depth, and on the other hand, its hitherto degraded historical and archaeological value can be more fully highlighted, and the building construction can be made “readable” his story. Our goal is to preserve and highlight all the elements that define the original identity of the building, and at the same time, the continuation of its use as a museum space, strengthening, however, its character as a monument to be visited».

The complex of Imaret is located in the center of the city of Komotini, within the historical site, very close to the Eski Mosque and the Castle, and is a declared monument.

The complex consists of three buildings of different orientation and their surrounding area. The central building is the Imaret, which dates between 1364 and 1382.

It is the earliest Ottoman monument on European soil built by Gazi Evrenos Bey, and one of the oldest Ottoman monuments in Thrace and is related to the expansion and dominance of the Ottomans in the region. The middle space, square in plan, is the center of the building. During the Bulgarian occupation at the end of the 19th century. its eastern apartment was converted into a chapel of St. North, as appears from an incised inscription in Slavic characters, which was uncovered in the arch of its entrance portico.

In 1924, the space was annexed to an ice factory complex, while the rest of its space was assigned to the Electric Lighting Service, until 1973. The ice factory building, with a square floor plan with a wide gable with a common square roof for the two spaces, closed and semi-outdoor, is today used as museum space hosting part of the collection of ecclesiastical relics of the Holy Metropolis of Maroneia and Komotini.

This specific supplementary study is part of the conservation, maintenance and repair study of the Imaret Komotini building complex and the sanitation of the surrounding area.

It includes additional design of construction elements, equipment and accessibility of the surrounding area of ​​the monumental complex, which aims both at the thematic organization of the visitor’s tour with informational presentation positions and rest points, as well as at highlighting the surrounding monumental buildings.