By Idyli Tsakiri

ATHENS

Athens’ first official mosque will be completed by the end of the current year instead of mid-summer, one of the construction companies told Anadolu Agency.

This marks the third time the completion of the construction is being postponed.

Originally, the mosque was supposed to be completed by April 2017, but later the occupation of the premises by far-right extremists stalled the project and the date was set for July of the same year.

Now, the new delay took place due to additional landscaping activities in the yard of the mosque, spokeswoman for INTRAKAT, one of the four companies involved in the construction, told Anadolu Agency.

The Ministry of Infrastructure did not sign a supplementary contract with the contractor of the project on time, causing the whole construction to slowdown, Greek media reported.

The ministry officials were not immediately available to comment.

The mosque located in the downtown neighborhood of Votanikos will be the country’s first official mosque since the 19th century.

Able to accommodate up to 350 worshippers, the mosque will be low-rise and will not include a minaret. A parking lot and a recreation area will be part of its two-block-wide site.