Hadži Hasan Mosque in Tuzla: An Ottoman-Era Mosque
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Mosque
History
Hadži Hasan Mosque in Tuzla is an Ottoman-era mosque in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, completed in 1548 during the period when the Ottoman Empire governed much of southeastern Europe. It was erected by Hadži Hasan, whose honorific traditionally identifies a Muslim who had completed the pilgrimage to Mecca, and the surrounding neighborhood took his name.
The mosque developed within an established settlement and became one of Tuzla’s oldest Muslim congregations. Until the late 1990s, it was regarded as the city’s largest and principal mosque. Its former prominence changed after new mosques were built.
A fire in 1871 caused extensive damage and led to major reconstruction. The work was completed in 1873–1874 under Mustafa Pasha, the governor of Zvornik, making this the most extensive renovation in the mosque’s history.
In April 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical, and Natural Heritage assessed the building and proposed restoration measures. The assessment found that the mosque had been built on a layer of clay. Its present form dates from 1999.
Remains
The mosque stands on Trade Street in central Tuzla. It has a square plan measuring 12 by 12 metres and is built of stone, with walls approximately 65 centimetres thick. A single minaret, the tower associated with a mosque and traditionally used for the call to prayer, rises as part of the building’s surviving form.
Twenty windows are arranged across two storeys. Wrought-iron grilles protect the exteriors of the lower windows, while the entrance doors are made of wrought iron and retain iron hinges. The interior can accommodate approximately 250 worshippers at one time.
A city fountain stands in front of the mosque. Its construction is presumed to date from after 1982.
