MOSQUE AT VAROŠKA RIJEKA – A JEWEL OF MODERN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

Since the fall of communism, hundreds of mosques have been built or renewed in BiH, and their construction was often accompanied with influence of building traditions which had previously been strange in Bosnian environment. From today's perspective, it can be observed that in this period a due attention has not been paid to the way of building many Bosnian mosques and that, despite big investments, an appropriate “standard” in architecture has rarely been reached. One of the mosques which belong to true jewels of modern Islamic architecture is a new mosque at Varoška Rijeka near Bužim. This mosque is an example of excelling junction between Ottoman-Bosnian architectural tradition with newly arriving building trends of the modern age. Architectural harmony of its interior and exterior details, as well as superb relief and spatial location is a reason why it has become well-known by far and recognizable in a short time.

According to known data, the jamaat of Varoška Rijeka was founded in 1839 and it is the second oldest jamaat in the Majlis of Islamic Community Bužim. Besides the preserved old mosque from 1922, it is known that a wooden mosque had existed before it, which was not the first public facility where inhabitants of this village of the time prayed. When the population increased in the decades after the Second World War, a need arose for a bigger facility. Thus, in the late 1980s, building of a new mosque began. In 1981, the jamaat board made the decision about building, which was approved by the Directorate of the Islamic Community as soon as the following year. However, due to obstruction by authorities, the building began only seven years later. The cornerstone was laid on 29 May 1989. Thereupon, the ceremony of mosque foundations took place on 16 September the same year, and it was opened on 21 September 1991. The mosque was designed by Taib Saltagić from Sarajevo, and it was opened by Razija and Meho Porić.

Architectural features

Due to its unconventional dimensions, the mosque at Varoška Rijeka is an architectural novelty and a complete opposite to the classical type of mosque, which is a characteristic of the traditional rural architecture of Krajina. As such, it is a unique example of the transition from Ottoman-Bosnian style of domed mosques to the new, in many ways unique urban architectural style. The harmony of its lines and beauty of its forms arouse visitors' admiration. It is neither too big nor too small but just as big as it should be, as if it had been built primarily for watching and only then for praying. Distribution and meaning of each detail make its interior and exterior almost perfect.

It is situated on the rim of a hill which rises above the central part of the village. Its classy position and suitable fitting into the space, as well as visual achievement and impressive beauty dominate the surroundings and attract looks of passers-by. Architect Saltagić designed it in a modern style, and in its unconventional lines, details and forms outlines of Bosnian tradition can only be discerned. As such, in terms of style and aesthetics, it is one of the most successful and the most beautiful Islamic sacral facilities in the muftiship of Bihać and broader.

The dimensions of the mosque are 26×16 meters, and it can receive about 700 prayers. Its interior is divided into a lobby, with two circular abdesthanas (spaces for ablution) and the central space for praying. It is covered with one big and eight small domes. The complex of the mosque also includes three rooms in the courtyard with small domes. The complex of the mosque has 17 domes, which symbolizes the 17 Rak'at fard of the five daily prayers.

The mosque is entered from the northeast. From the flat yard to the interior there are three two-stair. The first is found in front of the entrance porch, the second in the lobby and the third in front of the mihrab. In the daytime, the mosque is illuminated by 40 windows, 20 on each floor. Windows on the ground floor are rectangular, and those on the upper floor have a pointed end. Night illumination of the central space is provided by one central chandelier, seven circular side ones and fourteen small wall ones. The big chandelier in the central part has sixteen lightbulbs, while each of the small chandeliers on the upper floor has eight. Above the mihrab there is a small chandelier. Wall chandeliers are found on the ground floor. The entrance corridor on the ground floor has fourteen one-side wall chandeliers, while the one on the upper floor has five small circular ones and four small wall chandeliers. In the entrance porch, which is closed with a big entrance door, there are two lightbulbs and shelves for footwear. The mosque has a sound system and air-conditioning, as well as floor heating.

On the left side of the lobby, wooden stairs lead to the mahfil. In the middle of the mahfil there is a protrusion for the muezzin, and the wooden railing is the same as railing on mosque pulpits. The pulpits are located on both sides right next to the mihrab. On the base of the spacious mihrab there is a wooden square fence with equal spacing, unlike the railing on pulpits and mahfil, where the spacing is rectangular. The end part of the mihrab is accessed along semicircular staircase with thirteen stairs. The mihrab, the pulpits, the stair which lead to the upper floor, as well as the railing on the upper floor, benches and vases in the lobby are made of fir-wood. Both abdesthanas in the lobby, made of the bihacit stone, are a work of skilled hands of the Zulić family from Bihać. Besides the wooden benches in the abdesthana, there is another bench in the lobby intended for rest of jamaat members. The space from the entrance gate to the entrance into the mosque is paved. In one of the domes rooms in the courtyard there is a toilet, the second houses the pantry, while the third room is the entrance gate. Besides, in the courtyard there is an outdoor abdesthana, a shahid mausoleum and several benches. Grown cypress trees and hedgerow which surrounds the mosque courtyard make up a natural link between the mosque and its surrounding. Over the past ten years the mosque underwent a significant renewal. Fir window carpentry was replaced by plastic one of identical form and color, interior and exterior façade was placed, the minaret was painted, the courtyard lit up and new floor heating and carpeting were installed.

The jamaat of Varoška Rijeka gathers about 500 households with over 1,000 male members. In the history of the jamaat the following imams are listed: Hasan-hodža Caprnja, Mehmed-hodža Golubović, Redžep Redžić, Ramadan Musić, Mehmed Alešević, Ibrahim Mustafić, Mahmud Skenderović, Omer Bajrektarević, Omer Ćoralić, hafiz Hamzali Ibrišimović, Muhamed Velić, Asim Mahmutović, Husein Alijagić, Šefkija Hadžipašić, Muharem Memagić, Hasan Hilić, Nijaz Hadžić, Haris Veladžić and Omer Muratović.

The new mosque in Varoška Rijeka is one of the best recognizable styles of contemporary Bosnian sacral architecture. With its architectural harmony, this contemporary sacral building perfectly fits in the poetics of the landscape of Krajina, and its exterior beauty and interior function is a spot of true spiritual and material permeation.

Varoška Rijeka Mosque