Ferhat Pasha Mosque, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ferhat Pasha Mosque in the city of Banja Luka s one of the greatest achievements of Bosnia and Herzegovina's 16th century Ottoman Islamic architecture. The mosque was demolished in 1993 at the order of the authorities of Republika Srpska as a part of ethnic cleansing campaign, and was rebuilt and opened in 2016.

Commissioned by the Bosnian Sanjak-bey Ferhad Pasha Sokolović, the mosque was built in 1579 with money that, as tradition has it, were paid by the Auersperg family for the severed head of the Habsburg general Herbard VIII von Auersperg and the ransom for the general's son after a battle at the Croatian border in 1575, where Ferhad Pasha was triumphant.

The mosque was one of 16 destroyed in the city of Banja Luka during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995. The Serb militia blew up the Ferhadija Mosque on the night of 6–7 May 1993. May 6 is the date of the Serbian Orthodox holiday of Đurđevdan (Saint George's day). The minaret survived the first explosion, but was then razed to the ground.

In June 2007 repairs were completed on the foundations that survived the destruction, and reconstruction of the masonry and the rest of the building was completed over the next nine years, with the mosque reopening in on 7 May 2016.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina

User Reviews

Serdar (12 months ago)
The mosque is locked outside of prayer times, but you can still pray at the outside. It’s one of the most important and beautiful buildings in Banja Luka

Klara (2 years ago)
Very beautiful mosque, very friendly host who helped us to dress up in long skirt and put on a headwear to enter the Mosque, as well as provided some information about it's history. As I understood it's completely free to visit in between the prayers, so to not disturb when people pray. But in case of any questions, feel free to turn to the host (she is usually sitting at the entrance). The Mosque is a beautiful landmark from the outside and just as spectacular on the inside.

Byron Khan (2 years ago)
Beautiful mosque ? quite and relaxing inside well kept it was an honour to visit a mosque in banja luka

Chung Karen (2 years ago)
The place was closed during our visit. We cannot see the interior but the outlook of Mosque is beautiful.

Simon Weppel (3 years ago)
Interesting place. Mosque from the 16th century. Restored in 2017 with help from Turkey.

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