Mosques strongest symbols of Ottoman heritage in Sarajevo

When the lands of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina were conquered by the Ottomans in 1463, the country underwent huge changes, making Sarajevo an important hub. In order to meet the needs of Sarajevo's Muslim population, small mosques were built throughout the city's neighborhoods. These centuries-old neighborhood mosques continue to spread their spirituality to Sarajevo from the small neighborhoods where they are located today. While these mosques stand out with their architectural features and the historical texture, they are also considered "the seals of the Ottomans and the Islamic civilization" in the city.

After the Ottoman conquest, the city of Sarajevo began to grow, and the Muslim population saw a need for smaller mosques in addition to the huge mosques located in the city center, causing the residents of various neighborhoods to build wooden mosques for local prayer.



Offering insights to the history and importance of the neighborhoods' mosques in Sarajevo to Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent, Mirsad Avdic, the director of the Sarajevo Museum said that the neighborhoods founded by the Ottomans were in need of small mosques. He said that the locals performed their noon and mid-afternoon prayers in the central mosques, while frequenting the small mosques to perform their evening, night and morning prayers.

Avdic explained that the neighborhood mosques are more basic in design than the huge mosques in the city center, having mostly been built from wood or bricks. Explaining that the neighborhood mosques were named after ordinary local people, Avdic said: "For instance, there is a neighborhood mosque called "Bozacı Mosque" as the man who built it was selling boza. There is also a mosque called "Çekrekçi Mosque," whose benefactor was a mechanic."

Avdic also mentioned that one neighborhood mosque was built by the workers of a tannery. He said that, since these workers always carried the heavy smell of leather due to their jobs, they had their own mosque built for praying to avoid disturbing the communities in the central mosques.

He also said that the locals meet the needs of the neighborhood mosques by themselves and claimed that the locals consider these places of worship part of their families. Avdic said the 16th century was the heyday of the Sarajevo mosques, explaining that there were a total of 126 mosques in Sarajevo during that time. While eight were central mosques, the rest of the mosques were located in small neighborhoods.

Avdic said 22 mosques were demolished and rebuilt due to various reasons after the Ottomans withdrew from the region, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Yugoslavian government.

Avdic said the 16th century neighborhood mosques are now under government protection and are now considered "cultural monuments." Avdic added that they are also conducting research on the lost or destroyed mosques of Sarajevo, and have unearthed some of the old mosques, such as Bakır Baba Mosque and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque.