Banja Luka is the center of BiH and the region, with a good reason. The reconstructed beauty of Banja Luka, a landmark, religious and cultural symbol of Banja Luka, the Ferhadija Mosque, is officially opening its doors.
Ferhad Pasha’s Mosque, better known as Ferhadija, is not just an ordinary place of worship, but a building which has a soul. There are many reasons for one such statement, history being the first of them.
Ferhadija was built in 1579 and its construction was financed by the first Bosnian Beylerbey Ferhad Pasha Sokolović. Since its construction and until the beginning of the 1990s, it witnessed to good and evil, light and darkness, war and peace, love, co-existence, courage and pride.
Ferhadija is not different from other Ottoman type mosques built in BiH for any specific trait. However, this simple domed mosque has something indescribable that attracts and conquers, something which makes it not only a mosque, but also an oasis of peace, shelter, and a reflection of culture of one time.
This mosque has been on the list of cultural heritage of BiH since 1950. Its builder is unknown, but it is known that he was a student of the famous architect Mimar Sinan. Led by the Ivo Andrić’s thought: “We all die once, and great people die twice: first time when they disappear from the planet, and the second time when their endowment falls,” it is clear that the unknown builder of Ferhadija still lives, as well as Ferhad Pasha Sokolović does.
Since it was constructed, Ferhadija has been damaged several times. It was repaired for the first time in 1652, when its minaret was repaired. It also suffered certain damage during the war between the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire in 1734, during the Banja Luka fight. The mosque was partially damaged in two fires in the 19th century.
The mosque also suffered damage during the First and the Second World War, when its porch and lead cover were damaged. It was repaired for the last time in 1972, after it suffered damage in the devastating earthquake which hit Banja Luka in 1969.
The mosque survived all misfortunes, but not the planned demolition and destruction by the Serb aggressor on May 7, 1993, when it was bombed. It was the biggest proof of barbarism and vandalism, because the remains of the mosque were completely destroyed soon and taken to a landfill. Ferhadija was the most famous one of the 16 mosques destroyed during the war in Banja Luka.
Giving up on Ferhadija was not an option. Hence, in 2001 the Islamic Community in BiH obtained a building permit for reconstruction of the mosque. However, when the cornerstone was being laid on May 7, 2001, there were riots and the citizens who attended the laying of the cornerstone were attacked with rocks. A large number of citizens was injured, and Murat Badić died from injuries on May 26 the same year.
The great interest in the opening of this mosque is a proof that Ferhadija is not only a heritage of Ottoman culture in BiH, but the European as well.
In terms of style, Ferhadija is the purest example of Ottoman architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia. It has a jagged playing space, a protruding mihrab space, high porch and one minaret leaning against the right corner of the main part of the mosque.
Ferhad Pasha Sokolović is meritorious not only for the construction of the mosque, but also for the urbanization of Banja Luka. In addition to Ferhadija, he built a maktab, several bridges on the Vrbas River, over 200 stores, a public bath, a mill, and many other facilities.
Today, Ferhadija shines again as it once used to, ready for a new beginning as a symbol of tolerance, co-existence, mutual respect, and a unique architectural achievement.
(Source: klix.ba)