Ottoman era The founder of the imaret was Kavala-born
Muhammad Ali Pasha, who ordered the construction of the foundation as a "gift" to his birthplace in 1813. Built just below the fortifications in the heart of the old town of Kavala, the imaret supported the educational, social and religious needs of the Islamic population of Kavala. Although dedicated to traditional Islamic curriculum and sciences, the kitchens accepted all students and travellers, regardless of religion. It is one of the earliest examples of western-style school providing secular education in the Ottoman Empire, in accordance with Muhammad Ali's efforts for modernization. The complex used to house rare editions of Ottoman,
Turkish and
Persian manuscripts, dating from the 12th century. It has been suggested that the manuscripts were either stolen or destroyed, though it is also claimed that perhaps, following Greco-Turkish turmoil in the 1820s, the Egyptian community transferred them to
Egypt instead. As time passed, the education and charity purposes of the imaret declined. It is known that the school continued to function until 1902, and the kitchen until 1923.
Greece The
imaret, along with the rest of the town of Kavala, became part of modern Greece on June 26, 1913, following the victory of the
Balkan League against the
Ottoman Empire in the
Balkan Wars. Following the defeat of Greece in the
1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war and the
exchange of populations between Greece and the newly founded republic of
Turkey, several Greek refugees from
Asia Minor arriving in Greece were housed in the
imaret until as late as 1960s. In 1954, the
imaret along with the house of Muhammad Ali were declared protected historical monuments, and recognized as Egyptian
waqfs by the Greek state. Following the departure of the last Greek refugees, the building fell into disarray. One of the courtyards was converted into a tavern, some cells were turned into storage areas, parts of the lead roofs were stripped down, as were the Ottoman crescents that decorated the domes. The building slowly experience decline, though its foundations supported the structure, preventing its potential collapse. The decision to preserve and restore the
imaret was made by Kavala resident Anna Missirian in the mid-1990s, in spite of the enormous cost and difficulties she faced in procedure. Missirian leased the
imaret from the Egyptian government, as it is still part of the Egyptian
waqf property in Greece. After 22 months of intensive work the restoration was finished. Since 2004, the
imaret has operated as a hotel. == Architecture ==