Banya Bashi Mosque

Banya Bashi Mosque
Basic information
Location	Sofia, Bulgaria
Geographic coordinates
Affiliation	Islam
Status	Active
Architectural description
Architectural style	Ottoman architecture
Completed	1576
Dome(s)	1
Dome dia. (inner)	15 m
Minaret(s)	1
Materials	brick

Banya Bashi Mosque (Bulgarian: Баня баши джамия, Banya bashi dzhamiya; Turkish: Banya Başı Camii) is a mosque in Sofia, Bulgaria, built by the architect and civil engineer Mimar Sinan

History

Its construction was completed in 1576, during the years the Ottomans had control of the city. The mosque derives its name from the phrase Banya Bashi, which means many baths. The most outstanding feature of the mosque is that it was actually built over natural thermal spas. One can even see the steam rising from vents in the ground near the mosque walls. The mosque is famous for its large dome, diameter 15m, and the minaret.

Currently the Banya Bashi Mosque is the only functioning mosque in Sofia, a remnant of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria that lasted nearly five centuries, and is used by the city's Muslim community.

See also

• Turks in Bulgaria
• Ottoman architecture
• Islam in Bulgaria

External links

• Banya Bashi Mosque
• Historical photographs of the Banya Bashi Mosque