Old Mosque: A Historic Ottoman Mosque in Yambol, Bulgaria
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Mosque
On this page8 sections
History
The Old Mosque is a Sunni Muslim mosque in Yambol, Bulgaria, built under Ottoman rule, with its construction traditionally dated to 1373 and an inscription dating it to 1413. It belongs to the Ottoman architectural tradition, which combined regional Islamic forms with influences from Anatolia, the Balkans, Syria, and other parts of the empire. Also known as Eski Cami, it remains a functioning mosque and is described as the second-largest mosque in Bulgaria.
Ottoman Foundation and Dating
One tradition holds that the mosque was built in the summer of 1373, after Yambol came under Ottoman rule, using remains from the city’s fortress. The architectural historian Michael Kiel instead places its construction in the second decade of the fifteenth century. He compared the building with the Ulu Mosque in Uşak and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque in Edirne. An inscription above the entrance identifies the building as the Ebu Bekir Mosque and gives 1413 as its construction date.
In 1667, Evliya Celebi, a seventeenth-century Ottoman traveler and writer, described the mosque and its facilities. His account mentions a Hanafi fountain with eight taps for ablutions, the ritual washing performed before prayer. Hanafi Islam is one of the principal schools of Sunni Islamic law.
War, Reuse, and Losses
During the April Uprising of 1876, a Bulgarian revolt against Ottoman rule that helped lead to the Russo-Turkish War, Yambol was threatened with burning and destruction by Shefket Pasha. Ismail Hakki Pasha intervened on behalf of the city. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the mosque was temporarily used as a flour store. After both Bulgarian churches in Yambol had burned, the building was painted and used as a Christian church.
In 1884, Konstantin Jireček reported that the mosque had lost furnishings and religious relics, including a hair said to have come from the Prophet’s beard. Ismail Hakki Pasha was later reburied in the mosque’s vestibule, where his tomb monument remains part of the building.
Restoration and Protection
Restoration began in 1973 under a project by architect Nikola Mushanov of the National Institute for Cultural Monuments. The work was undertaken by Georgi Vasilev’s brigade from the Yambol municipal construction organization. Archaeological investigations found no evidence for oral traditions that a medieval Bulgarian church had previously stood on the site.
A Ministry of Culture protocol dated 3 December 1960 designated the Old Mosque a cultural monument of national importance. The restoration returned the building to its original appearance while preserving its continuing religious function.
Remains
The Old Mosque stands on Liberation Square in central Yambol. Its restored structure is organized around a main prayer hall with a massive lead-covered central dome, a minaret, three entrances, and a vestibule containing a tomb monument. The building combines the principal spaces of an Ottoman mosque with features that reflect regional architectural influences.
Prayer Hall and Minaret
Three entrances lead into the main prayer hall, although only the central entrance is currently used. An eastern niche, divided from the rest of the hall by a curtain, provides a prayer area for women. The minaret has an unusual square lower section and a circular upper section, a combination associated with Syrian and eastern Anatolian architectural styles.
Dome and Interior Decoration
The central dome is covered with lead, and seventeenth-century wall paintings survive inside the mosque. Four acoustic pots are built into the dome’s four corners. These elements give the interior very good acoustics and led to a proposal to convert the mosque into a concert venue.
Vestibule Tomb Monument
The vestibule contains the tomb monument of Ismail Hakki Pasha. Its inscriptions are written in Turkish, Bulgarian, and French, linking the monument to the building’s later history and to the official who intervened on behalf of Yambol during the crisis of 1876.
