Ali Pasha's Mosque, Ottoman mosque in Centar Municipality, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ali Pasha's Mosque is a prayer house in central Sarajevo topped by a large dome covering the main worship space, with three smaller domes above the surrounding arcades. The complex also holds a mausoleum containing tombs of two important activists from the 19th century.
The mosque was built in 1561 under an Ottoman official and established as a permanent charitable endowment. It survived multiple periods of conflict and change in the city, underlining its importance to local history.
The mosque is named after its founder and serves as a gathering place in central Sarajevo where daily prayers shape the rhythm of the day. Visitors can sense how the architecture and the living practices within are closely connected.
The building sits in the downtown area and is easy to reach on foot, with enough space to explore the courtyard and exterior. Visitors should be aware that active prayer times occur at certain hours, and respect for its use as a worship space is important.
The structure impresses with its engineering design, using a particularly large sub-dome that spans the interior space without extra supporting columns. This construction method was a technical achievement rarely reached in the region during the 16th century.
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