The Veli Pasha Mosque is located in the town of Rethymno, on the Mastaba area, so it is known also as the Mastaba Mosque. It was built in 17th century on the ruins of St. Ounoufrios temple.

The building is an architectural gem for the city, since is covered by nine domes, has a complex of thirteen consecutive cells with the stunning Priory and features a minaret. The minaret even bring chronological inscription which makes him the oldest surviving minaret of the city, from 1789.

Today, after the restoration of the building due to damage of World War II, the building housed the paleontological museum. Through the exhibition of the museum, the visitor discovers the evolution of Crete in depth of 300 million years, and the unique fossils and finds of Cretan dwarf elephants, dwarf hippos, deers and various birds.

Visit the Veli Pasha Mosque through our tours Tour 10 and Tour 11, and discover one of the greatest monuments of the island and its paleontological history.