Zincirli Mosque, Ottoman mosque in Serres, Greece.

The Zincirli Mosque stands in the southwestern corner of Serres, not the centre. Its square prayer hall is covered by a dome, with a two-storey colonnaded portico on the eastern, northern and western sides; the qibla is on the southern side and the entrance on the northern. The porticoes carry keel-shaped domes, and the porch is built entirely of dressed limestone ashlars.

This building was commissioned in the late 1500s as a memorial and demonstrates design principles that were taught through the school of the master builder Mimar Sinan. Its approach to layout and decoration reflects methods that became standard in Ottoman cities at that time.

The name "Mosque of Chains" comes, according to Stavroula Dadaki, from the chains that hung the main chandelier from the roof. The building served as a lumber warehouse from 1913 and as an army reserve in World War II, when its lead roof sheets were removed. It reopened as a museum in 2014 and was not open for worship as of 2021.

The former mosque stands in the southwestern corner of Serres, so approach it from that side of the city. It reopened as a museum in 2014 after a long renovation, but as of 2021 it was not open for worship. Check current opening conditions before planning a look inside.

The name "Mosque of Chains" comes from the chains that hung the main chandelier from the roof, as Stavroula Dadaki explains. Another detail: the building is not aligned toward Mecca, which by strict definition would make it more a medrese than a mosque, though it was built as a mosque.