In the heart of Athens in the city's oldest district of Plaka square Monastiraki is a mosque Cadarache. This Ottoman mosque of the 18th century, today serves as a Museum.

In the mid-18th century Mustafa Cadarache was Governor of Athens, and he built this mosque in 1759 (as the inscription on the mosque). The Athenians believed the mosque cursed place and accused in a flash of hunger. The reason for this was the General Cadarache. He used for the construction of a mosque a few columns from the temple of Olympian Zeus, produced barbaric way. Because he did this without the permission of the Sultan, he was fined and expelled from the post of Governor. After the outbreak of the Greek revolution in 1821, the minaret of the mosque was destroyed.

After independence, the mosque building was transferred to the army. In those years, the mosque was used as a prison, barracks and warehouse. In 1915, the mosque was restored to its original form. In 1918 it housed the Museum of Greek Handicrafts", renamed in 1923 in "the national Museum of decorative arts". In 1959, the Museum was again renamed as the Museum of Greek folk art". In 1973 the main collection and the major funds of the Museum were moved to a new building located in the oldest district of Athens, Plaka on the street Kidathineon. In the mosque Cadarache remained a branch of the Museum, which presents a collection of pottery folk art of Kyriazopoulos.

In 1981 the earthquake the building of the mosque was badly damaged, but in 1991, the Museum was reopened.