Strong reactions have erupted in the Turkish press over the placement of a statue of Alexander the Great in the courtyard of the Sadirvan Mosque in Drama, as part of an exhibition by the Benaki Museum. Specifically, a report by yeniakit claims this is another episode of “assimilation” and “erasure of Ottoman memory” in Greece. According to the article’s author, placing the statue constitutes an intervention that distances the monument from its identity.
Backlash over statue placement in Drama
According to the writer, the move aims to alter the Ottoman and Turkish cultural presence in Greece. The text refers to the mosque’s history, which was an important “part” of the city’s Muslim community until 1923.
The author claims that after the population exchange, the monument lost its role. Meanwhile, reference is made to events in 1963, noting that the mosque suffered serious damage and was abandoned. There is also mention of the period when it was used as a printing house.
Yunanistan’ın Drama kent merkezinde bulunan ve günümüzde prestijli bir kültür merkezi olarak hizmet veren tarihi Osmanlı yadigarı Şadırvan Camii’nin avlusuna Büyük İskender heykeli dikildi.
Atina Benaki Müzesi’nin düzenleyeceği özel bir sergi kapsamında, ünlü heykeltıraş Yannis… pic.twitter.com/cD9eO9tKWO
— Time Balkan (@TimeBalkan_) June 10, 2026
“Removed from its historical context”
The Turkish media outlet notes that the mosque now operates as a cultural space called “Sentirvan.” However, it emphasizes that the exhibition contributes to removing the monument from its historical context. The report makes the claim that placing the statue is part of a broader policy of “Hellenization” of Ottoman monuments. The author concludes by noting that such spaces should be treated as cultural heritage monuments.
