The Banya Bashi Mosque is counted among Europe's oldest mosques. The mosque was built in 1576 and was designed by one of the famous and the most efficient architects of the Ottoman period, Koca Mimar Sinan. The mosque is located in Sofia and is one of among the Sofia attractions.
The Banya Bashi Mosque, Sofia inherits its name from the term 'Banya Bashi', meaning 'many baths'. One of the most special features of
the Banya Bashi Mosque
|
in Sofia is that it was originally the site of several thermal spas.
A minaret and a large dome are the features of the mosque. Prayers can be heard around five times a day from the loudspeakers of the minaret. However the mosque was misused during the communist rule but in modern times it is open for worshippers. Entry into the mosque is however restricted except the outer premises. The Banya Bashi Mosque is the reminiscent of the Bulgarian Ottoman rule and is the only functioning mosque in Sofia.
|
