Budala Hodja Tekke



The Budala Hodja Tekke (Τεκές του Μπουνταλά Χότζα, Budala Hoca Tekkesi) is an Ottoman period tekke (khanqah) in the village of Thermes in the Xanthi regional unit, in Greece's Western Thrace. It lies very close to Greece's border with Bulgaria.

Description
The tekke building includes two rooms, one for the turbe (an Ottoman sort of mausoleum) and a gathering hall. The tekke was renovated recently with funds given by Saudi Arabia. This restoration, according to Prinston University historian and Ottomanologist Heath W. Lowry, destroyed the original shape of the tekke, with İznik tiles used from Kütahya (city in western Turkey). The only thing left to remind of its original shape is the domed hamam.

The tekke complex includes a domed building used as a hamam (Turkish bath), with water provided by a hot spring in the area. The domed hamam is near the tekke by the river bank, and the clear water reaches 40-41 degrees Celsius.