Muslihudin Čekrekčija Mosque

Muslihudin Čekrekčija Mosque
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Branch/tradition	Sunni
Location
Location	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Architecture
Type	mosque
Style	Ottoman architecture
Founder	Muslihudin Čekrekčija
Completed	1526
Specifications
Length	17.90 m
Width	17.54 m
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	1
Minaret height	32 m
Materials	stone (limestone, sedra), Turkish brick (pavements), wood, wrought iron, lead and copper sheet

Muslihudin Čekrekčija Mosque, also known as Čaršijska, is second oldest domed mosque in Sarajevo. It was constructed in 1526 in the Baščaršija area of the city, at the foot of Kovač (the center of the city's old trading center). It is raised in the mahala of Isa-Bey's turn. From the vakufnam (document bequeathing assets for religious, humanitarian, educational, or other purposes) of the founder of the mosque, Hajji Mustafa, the son of Ishak, is known to the people as Muslihudin Čekrekčija, her builder. This is also the oldest known original document written in Sarajevo.

In the vakufnam, in connection with the establishment and construction of the mosque, it is written:

"When a man dies, his work comes to an end, except for three things: the knowledge and skills he used, the good child who prays for him, and his enduring sadaqa [good deeds]."

– translation by Mehmed Handžić

Since 2004, the mosque has been under the protection of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision was made by the Commission for the Preservation of National Monuments at the session held from 2 to 8 November 2004 with the following members: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović (chair), Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik, who declared the mosque the National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today its links to its commercial past remain, as it is surrounded by shops.

See also

• Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• List of mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Literature

• Mehmed Mujezinović, Islamic Epigraphic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Book I – Sarajevo, Sarajevo, 1988.

• Behija Zlatar, Zlatni period Sarajeva: Contributions to the history of Sarajevo, Institute of History, 1997

• Alija Bejtić, Streets and squares of old Sarajevo, Sarajevo 1973.

• Andrej Andrejevic, Islamic monumental art of the 16th century in Yugoslavia – dome mosque, Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Institute for the History of Art, Belgrade, 1984