Banya Bashi Mosque

Banya Bashi Mosque stands on bul. Knyaginya Maria Luiza in central Sofia, Bulgaria, next to the Central Mineral Baths and close to the Central Sofia Market Hall. It was built in 1566 and is attributed to the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. The name translates roughly as many baths, a reference to the hot mineral springs that rise in this part of the city and fed the nearby bathhouse. It is the only working mosque in Sofia and remains an active place of worship for the city's Muslim community.

The mosque has a single large dome and a slender minaret about 40 metres tall. The exterior is built of alternating bands of stone and brick, and the building sits in a small plaza that is often busy with pigeons, locals and passers-by. Behind it, the old mineral baths building, with its decorative tilework, adds to the sense of a layered historic quarter. A fountain for ritual washing stands outside, and the plaza is a popular place to take photographs because the mosque, the baths and the nearby market hall are all visible together.

Inside, the prayer hall is a single open space under the dome, with carpeted floors, a mihrab and calligraphy. Visitors are admitted outside the five daily prayer times, and the mosque is closed to sightseers while prayers take place. Shoes are removed at the entrance and women are asked to cover their heads, so a scarf is useful. Visitors dress modestly, speak quietly and avoid walking in front of people who are praying. Donations are welcome.

The visit is short, usually 15-20 minutes. Late morning and mid-afternoon between prayer times are the best moments, and Friday midday prayers are busiest, so sightseeing is limited then. The street outside is busy at all times, but the interior is calm. Because the site is so close to Serdica metro station, the Serdica Archaeological Complex, the Rotunda of St George and the market hall, it fits easily into a walk through central Sofia's old religious and trading quarter.