Banya Bashi Mosque

The Banya Bashi Mosque ( Bulgarian Баня баши джамия / banya bashi dschamija, Turkish Banyabaşı Camii ) is the largest mosque in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. She is one of the most important buildings in Sofia from the time of Ottoman rule and was probably built in 1576. She is one of the oldest mosques in Europe.

Location

The Banya Bashi Mosque stands on the Boulevard Knjaginja Maria Luisa in the center of Sofia. Just east of the mosque is the central mineral bath Sofia ( built in 1913 ) with the " Bad Place " ( площад " Бански " / Ploschtad " Banski " ) and west of it, on the street side of the Boulevard Knjaginja Maria Luisa, is the Central Market Hall Sofia ( 1911).

History

The Banya Bashi Mosque is named after the former bathhouse, not to be confused with the built in 1913 today the Central Mineral Bath Sofia. At this point in the center of Sofia, where since the Roman era a 46 ° C arises from thermal source, since at least the 16th century, there was a public, Turkish bath ( hammam or Oriental suite), bordering directly on the mosque. Prior to the construction of new large Central Mineral bath in 1913 this old Turkish bath had already fallen into disrepair. After this old, much smaller Turkish bath, which was even closer to the mosque when the current Zentralbad, the Banja Bschi mosque was named.

Banja is called bathroom. Banya Bashi means many baths, which is why the name of the mosque is also translated as baths mosque. The founder of the Banya Bashi Mosque was Mullah ( Molla ) Efendi Kadı Seyfullah who built the mosque in memory of his deceased wife. Older sources therefore refer to this mosque as Molla Efendi Mosque or as Kadı Seyfullah mosque. The Bulgarian word for mosque Dschamija ( Bulg джамия ) is derived from the Turkish word for Friday ( Cumaya ) - after the date for the Friday prayer.

Evliya Çelebi visited as in the 17th century Sofia, the city had 53 mosques. Later, she had over 100 mosques according to other sources. In 1858 an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale tilted by 19 of the then 24 existing minarets in Sofia, otherwise no lives were lost in this earthquake. At the end of Ottoman rule it was in Sofia 50-84 mosques. After the end of Ottoman rule (1878 ), there were still 32 mosques in Sofia. Of these buildings are still five receive. The Banya Bashi Mosque is the only mosque used in the Bulgarian capital, which has been preserved in its original form. In the building of the former Great Mosque ( Bulg Буюк джамия / Bujuk dschamija; turk Buyuk Camii. ) Now houses the National Archaeological Museum.

On the arch over the entrance door a text is painted, but which is no longer to decipher. Beneath it is the year 974 so it is expected that the mosque was built in 974 in the Islamic calendar, which began with the Hijrah. This corresponds according to the Christian calendar (Gregorian calendar ) in 1566 or 1567. Islamic year 974 took according to the Julian calendar of 19 July 1566 to 9 July 1567. At that time there was the Ottoman Empire over Sofia and most of the Balkan Peninsula. 1440 Sofia had become the center of a Rumelian Bejlerbej who administered all Bulgarian territories and 25 counties included.

A predecessor of today's mosque was built in 1474 during the time of the provincial governor ( Beylerbey ) Mehmed Pasha, who later became Sultan Mehmed II.

During the communist rule in Bulgaria (1944-1989), the mosque was not in operation. Since 1989 will once again include calls to prayer of the muezzin from the minaret to hear.

The mosque today

The mosque is not officially open for tourists to visit, but these are taken in five prayer times for tour out of. Also, women have access to appropriate clothing, but must wear a headscarf, which is available at the entrance. At the times of prayer to prayer of the muezzin sounds from speakers from the minaret, but they are so quiet that she almost lost in the noise from the street. The first (5 clock ) and the last call to prayer ( 22:30 o `clock ) are omitted for the sake of protection against noise. The call to prayer lasts one and a half minutes and is done in Arabic. So both the wishes of Muslims and non-Muslims is taken into account with respect to the noise pollution. In 2006 there were a citizen initiative petitions by non-Muslims against the noise from the calls to prayer. However, it was not followed by judicial or administrative prohibitions or regulations to do so.

The sermon in the mosque is made in Bulgarian and Turkish. Only the obligatory prayers are recited in the prescribed original Arabic. Often Muslims are at the times of prayer in front of the mosque, especially since the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and on public holidays the place in the mosque is not enough for all visitors.

Architecture

The main building of the mosque has a square base and bears a large central dome of lead with a diameter of 15 meters. The building is not parallel to the Boulevard Knjaginja Maria Luisa, but shows with its western corner, which was also the tall, slender minaret, facing the street. Is the main input of a stem ( Tetimme = annex building) is covered by three smaller domes on the north west side.

The mosque is built in the typical Ottoman architectural style of the 16th century. The builder was Mimar Sinan, one of the greatest architects of the Ottoman Empire. He has also built the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. The walls are built of alternating layers of hewn stone and red bricks. On the four corners of the roof turrets serve as retaining walls with openings. At the site where the mosque stands, rises a warm mineral spring (46 ° C). The rising steam can be seen near the walls of the mosque.

The walls of the prayer room and the sheets are of hewn stone. The columns are each carved from a single stone. The arch over the front door is also carved out of stone. The main dome is covered with lead plates. The interior of the mosque got its present appearance only after repeated remodeling. The last reason was renovated with the financial support of the Turkish Ambassador in Bulgaria, Fethi Okyar, carried out in the 1920s. After the Second World War, a part Renovation ( plastering, painting, etc. ) was carried out. Renovations in recent decades have been made possible by the support of Turkish and Arab Waqf ( endowment ). With their support, among others, under-floor heating was installed.

The mosque has two floors, the upper floor is, as usual, in mosques, reserved for women. The Imam stands in his sermon on a pulpit ( minbar ). The walls of the Banya Bashi mosque are decorated in white and blue. Since the Islamic prohibition of images under consideration are the walls with Arabic calligraphy, quotations from the Koran, decorated. Previously was next to the mosque, the grave of Mullah Efendi Kadı Seyfullah.

Changes in the interior or on the exterior thereof are not admitted, since the mosque was declared a cultural monument.

The Mosque, in its present state space for 700 worshipers at Friday prayers and for nearly 1200 religious holidays ( Bayram ). The Muslim community in Sofia has about 30,000 Muslims.