Tombul Mosque, Shumen, Bulgaria

The Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque, more commonly known as the Tombul Mosque, located in Shumen, is the largest mosque in Bulgaria and one of the largest in the Balkans.

Build between 1740 and 1744, the mosque was initially located in the north-eastern Bulgarian (then Ottoman) town's centre, but is now in Shumen's south-west parts as the town centre moved as a result of the enlargement of the town. The mosque's name comes from the shape of its dome.

The mosque's complex consists of a main edifice (a prayer hall), a yard and a twelve-room extension (a boarding house of the madrasa). The main edifice is in its fundamental part a square, then becomes an octagon passing to a circle in the middle part, and is topped by a spherical dome that is 25 m above ground. The interior has mural paintings of vegetable life and geometric figures and inscriptions of Arabic, phrases from the Qur'an. The yard is known for the arches in front of the twelve rooms that surround it and the minaret is 40 m high.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Bulgaria

User Reviews

Petar Boychev (9 months ago)
If you visit Shumen you should not miss Tombul Mosque. A unique work of art in many ways.

Rosina Mateva (11 months ago)
Can't be described! Must see as soon as possible!

Hakan Hüseyin (12 months ago)
Very beautiful as a Muslim myself and the Imam and quran teacher are very nice people

Petya Dimitrova (2 years ago)
Very well maintained, very kind staff, they answered all questions.

vera vasileva (2 years ago)
Very well maintained property with a lovely garden. Very responsive staff.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Tombul Mosque

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus