REGONSTRUCTION OF FERHADIJA MOSQUE MINARET BEGINS

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (May 13,2008) – Reconstruction of the minaret at the Mosque of Ferhat-Pasha Sokolović in the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka will begin in the following few days.The Ferhadija Mosque was destroyed by the genocidal Serbian aggressor May 7 1993,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Mufti of Banja Luka Edhem Camdzic stated that reconstruction of the mosque is the best message of hope, peace and tolerance.

So far, out of 16 destroyed mosques in the Banja Luka area, nine have been fully reconstructed.

Ferhat-Pasha Mosque (Bosnian: Ferhat-Pašina Džamija) or more widely known as Ferhadija Mosque was a central building of the city of Banja Luka and one of the most successful achievements of the Islamic architecture of the 16th century Bosnia.

The mosque was built in 1579 in a classical Ottoman style by an unknown architect apprentice of Mimar Sinan. It was commissioned by the Bosnian Sanjak-Beg Ferhat-Pasha Sokolović. The Ferhadija mosque complex also included three small adjacent mausoleums carrying tombs of Ferhat-Pasha Sokolović, his granddaughter Safi-Kaduna and his ensign, a central fountain called Shaderwan, Stone and wrought iron fence with the small fountain on the corner, and an old graveyard in the back.

A later addition to the complex was a near-by clock tower Sahat-Kula. Built in a modest scale as it was common for structures of this type in Bosnia the mosque was 18 meters (59 ft) in width and 14 meters (46 ft) in length while the main dome was 18 meters (59 ft) high. The minaret was 43 m (141 ft) high.

Ferhadija was listed as a cultural heritage of Bosnia in 1950 and was subsequently protected by UNESCO until its destruction by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in 1993. The site and the remains of the mosque today are listed as a Bosnian national monument.
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