White Mosque, Ottoman mosque in Stari Grad and Vratnik neighborhoods, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The White Mosque, also called the Mosque of Divan Katib Hajdar, stands at the corner of Bijela česma and Džanina (Kršilovac) streets near the Jajce barracks. It is a single-space mosque of about 10.90 by 11.65 metres, with exterior wooden sofas, a four-pitched roof and a stone minaret 22.50 metres tall.
Hadži-Hajdar efendija, secretary of Gazi Husrev-beg, built the mosque after 1536 and before 1545, modelling it on the Begova Mosque. A mekteb and a clock tower (sahat-kula) stood beside it; the clock tower was demolished under Austro-Hungarian rule. In 2006 the Commission to Preserve National Monuments declared the mosque, mekteb, fountain and harem with its tomb a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The mosque gets its name from its white exterior and serves as a central gathering place for the Muslim community in Sarajevo, where worshippers come throughout the day for prayer. The space reflects Islamic religious practices and functions as a hub for both spiritual observance and community connection.
The site is accessible to visitors during the day, but it is important to wear respectful clothing and be mindful of prayer times, which may affect access. Separate entrances mark the areas for worshippers and tourists, so visitors should follow these distinctions.
The mosque is sung in Safet Isović's song "Šehidski rastanak". Its wooden sofas have a floor, a feature noted in descriptions of the building. The stone minaret rises 22.50 metres.
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