Karadoz Bey Mosque

Karađoz Bey Mosque was built on the foundations of the Catholic church of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr. An Arabic foundation inscription on the mosque records that it was commissioned by Mehmed Beg b. Abu al-Saʿadat’ who was a brother of a vizier in the year AH 965 (1557-58). Some scholars have claimed that the vizier was the grand vizier Rüstem Pasha, but Rüstem Pasha is recorded as having only a single brother, Sinan Pasha.

The mosque may have been designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. It is in the form of a domed cube fronted by a double portico. The three domes of the inner portico are supported by four marble columns. The outer portico has a shed roof resting on small octagonal pillars. The large 10.65 metres dome of the mosque sits on an octagonal fenestrated drum which is supported by eight-pointed arches.

The mosque was severely damaged during World War II, and faced near destruction during the Bosnian War in the early 1990s. However, Karađoz Bey Mosque, like the rest of Mostar, underwent extensive repairs between 2002 and 2004. The mosque was completely renovated and reopened to the public in July 2004.

Address
Braće Fejića, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Established
16th century