With this, Athens finally shakes off its infamous reputation as the only European Union capital with no mosque.
The mosque's first imam is Zaki Mohammed, 49, a Greek citizen of Moroccan origin.
The decision to build a mosque in Athens was first made in 2006, with a budget of €887,000 ($1.04 million), but bureaucratic hurdles, protests by far-right groups, and legal challenges stalled the process.
Until today, the half-million Muslim faithful in the city had to resort to dingy basements and unsanitary locations to meet and perform prayers.
