Banya Bashi Mosque, Ottoman mosque in central Sofia, Bulgaria
Banya Bashi Mosque is a four-sided building with a large central dome, smaller domes at each corner, and a minaret beside it, constructed from brick and stone. The structure demonstrates how important religious buildings were designed and built at that time.
The building was constructed in 1566 by a renowned architect named Mimar Sinan for a high Ottoman official when the Ottomans ruled Sofia. Its construction reflects the power and resources of that era in Bulgaria's history.
The name Banya Bashi means "head of the bath", because the mosque stood within a larger bath complex and was built over natural thermal springs; steam still rises from vents in the ground near its walls. It is Sofia's only working mosque, and on Fridays about 700 worshippers pray inside, while on bayram holidays nearly 1,200 fill it and spill onto the pavement outside.
The mosque sits next to the city's well-known thermal baths and is easy to locate from central Sofia. It is accessible to visitors, though you should be aware that prayer times occur throughout the day and respectful behavior is expected.
The building takes its name from the hot springs flowing beneath it, which still send heat to the surface today. It remains the only active Islamic place of worship from medieval times still used for prayer in Sofia.
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