HUSEIN-PASHA MOSQUE
Author: Ferid Osmanagić, imam • Photo: Mirza Hasanefendić
By lined-up proportions and builders’ skill, the Husein-pasha Mosque in Pljevlje is one of the most significant buildings from the period of Ottoman administration, while by the wealth of interior and exterior decoration it is one of the richest mosques in this region. It was built in 1569; the name of the main designer has remained unknown, while the draft for the mosque was made by the famous neimar (builder) Hajrudin, who also designed the Old Bridge in Mostar.
It was built of hewn stone; its dimensions are 17x13 m, and walls are 112 cm thick. A particular attention is attached to a 42 m high and slender minaret, which perfectly fits into the environment and the whole atmosphere of the Husein-pasha Mosque. The high blue dome, which is also described by Evlija Celebi, is richly decorated, mostly with floral motifs. The main entrance door was made of hard wood and decorated with geometric motifs, and largely remind of ornaments at the entrance door of the best-known Islamic university El-Azhar. The covered part of the porch and the interior of the Husein-pasha Mosque are decorated with calligraphic inscriptions, stalactite decoration, floral decoration and geometric motifs.
The courtyard of the Husein-pasha Mosque also radiates with the beauty of harmony, which is manifested through shadervani, clock-tower and mezarje (cemetery).
Besides old manuscripts in Arabic and Turkish, the mosque holds a manuscript of the Qur’an from 1571, written by the order by Husein-pasha Boljanić. The Qur’an has 233 leaves, sized 39x28.5 cm, bound in leather. It is ornamented with 352 miniatures done on the golden background.
