Emperor's Mosque — Attraction in City of Sarajevo

The Emperor's Mosque (Bosnian: Careva Džamija, Turkish: Hünkâr Camii) is an important landmark in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, being the first mosque in the Sarajevo area to be built (1457) after the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia. It is the largest single-subdome mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina, built in the classical Ottoman style of the era. It was built by Isa-bey Ishaković-Hranušić, the founder of the city of Sarajevo, who dedicated it to the Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror (Fatih) - the conqueror of Constantinople and Bosnian Kingdom. Considered one of the most beautiful mosques of the Ottoman period in the Balkans, the mosque features a roomy interior and high quality decorative details, such as the mihrab.

HISTORY

The original mosque was built in the mid-fifteenth century and has a long and fascinating history. Damaged and totally destroyed in fire at the end of that century, it was rebuilt in 1565 and dedicated this time to Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, who autorized giving money from the central empire's budget (Hazna) for rebuilding it. Interesting fact is that Sultan Suleyman in the same period also gave money of Hazna for building Dome on the Rock in Jerusalem in its current shape which is the visual synonym of Jerusalem, Palestine and Israel.

The first mosque was made of wood and significantly smaller than existing building that was built in 1565. Side rooms were added in 1800 and connected to the central prayer area in 1848. Between 1980 and 1983 the painted decorations in the interior of the mosque were conserved and restored. The burial ground (graveyard) beside the Emperor's Mosque contains the graves of viziers, mullahs, muftis, sheikhs, the employees in the Emperor's Mosque, along with other prominent figures living in Sarajevo.

The mosque was damaged during World War II, but mostly in the Bosnian war 1992-1996 during the almost four-year siege of Sarajevo by the Serbian and Serb para-milatay forces. During the Bosnian war The Emperor's Mosque was havely roceted by doesnts of artillery shells, like the rest of the city. Restauration of the extirior is finished, enterior restauration is pending.

The first settlements in Sarajevo were built around the mosque with the residence of the Sultan's representatives then being built next to the mosque. Isa-bey also built a hammam (public bath) and a bridge that led directly to the mosque. This bridge was disassembled during the Austro-Hungarian government and bulit a new one out of concrete just a few meters upstream where it still exists today.

On the other side of the river, he built a caravansarai (hotel like facility with place for horces). For the financing of these facilities, Isa-bey left a heritage of many shops, land...

The Emperor’s Mosque is Sarajevo’s oldest mosque and one of the oldest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is presumed that Isa Bey Ishaković, the founder of Sarajevo, had this place of worship built soon after the city’s founding in 1462 in honor of Sultan Mehmed II “the Conqueror”.

Sarajevo was attacked in 1480 by the despot, Vuk Grgurević, leader of King Matija Korvina’s Hungarian troops. The mosque suffered extensive damage and a total reconstruction was carried out during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and it was at this time that the mosque took its current form.

During the period of Austro-Hungarian rule, some of the adjacent structures were knocked down and a new building was erected which would come to house the seat of the Reis-ul-Ulema, office of the Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There is a cemetery behind the mosque where prominent Sarajevans were buried, such as Sheikh Ibrahim Bistrigija; Mula Muhamed Emin and the Bosnian muhafiz, Abdulah Pasha. It is believed that it also contains the grave of Isa...

The city of Sarajevo, which was one of the greatest civilization centers in Europe during the Ottoman period, contains many secrets. The mosques, which open a window to the golden age of Bosnia, constitute a source for the legends that continue to be told from generation to generation among the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Some of the legends about mosques, one of the most beautiful symbols of Sarajevo, are as follows;

Sultan Mosque

Hünkar Mosque is one of the first mosques built in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the first mosque in Sarajevo. It was built for Mehmed the Conqueror in 1462. Its construction was financed by the founder of Sarajevo, İshakoğlu İsa Bey.

The first wooden structure was destroyed by fire in the attack by Serbian despot Vuk Grgurevic, who came with his soldiers in 1480. Eighty years later, it was rebuilt in the same place, financed by Suleiman the...