Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and Museum

The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque (Gazi Husrev-begova džamija) on Sarači street in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was built between 1530 and 1531 and is the largest historic mosque in the country. It was commissioned by Gazi Husrev-beg, the Ottoman governor of the Sanjak of Bosnia, as the centre of a larger endowment (vakuf) that also included a madrasa, a public kitchen, a library, a covered market and a clock tower. The mosque is attributed to the architect Acem Esir Ali and follows the Ottoman classical model: a square prayer hall beneath a central dome flanked by semi-domes, fronted by a portico of smaller domes, and accompanied by a tall pencil minaret. A hexagonal ablution fountain (šadrvan) stands in the courtyard, and the 16th-century clock tower (Sahat-kula), one of the tallest in the Balkans, rises nearby. Inside, the painted decoration, carpets and carved stone mihrab reflect centuries of restoration and redecoration. The complex was shelled during the 1992-1995 siege and later restored with international support. The adjoining Gazi Husrev-beg Museum at Sarači 33 displays Ottoman-era Islamic art, manuscripts and everyday objects associated with the vakuf. The mosque is an active place of worship and visitors are welcome outside prayer times, provided they dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered, shoes removed, and headscarves for women at the entrance. Photography is generally allowed in the courtyard and interior, but visitors should stay quiet and respectful. The entrance fee listed locally is about 2 KM for the mosque, about 3 KM for the museum and about 6 KM for a combined ticket. The mosque is a short walk from Baščaršija Square and normally takes 20 to 30 minutes to visit, a little over an hour with the museum.