Thousands of believers arrived in Banja Luka yesterday and today in order to attend the official ceremony of the opening of Ferhadija Mosque. Believers are coming from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, region, and the world.
Halifa came from Germany to Banja Luka last night. She said that this day has a great significance in her life, especially because the mosque will be opened after so many years.
“I feel emotions deep inside. It is difficult to describe it all, because emotions are all messed up when I remember war,” Halifa said.
Senija Hasanović arrived in Banja Luka this morning from Živinice. She said her wish was to come with her family. Jasmin Šabanović from Brčko evokes painful memories today.
“I came with my family, to contribute to the opening and marking of the reopening of Ferhadija. The mosque is very important for us because we come from the city which suffered a lot during the war and we believe that this act of arrival is significant not only for the people of Banja Luka, but for the entire BiH as well,” Jasmin said.
Ferhadija Mosque was built in 1579 and its construction was financed by the first Bosnian Beylerbey Ferhad pasha Sokolović. The mosque was demolished on May 7, 1993 and today, 23 years later, it will reopen its doors for the believers. This was the most famous mosque out of 16 mosques destroyed in Banja Luka during the war.
(Source: klix.ba)
