Gazi Husrev Bey’s Mosque

Gazi Husrev Bey’s Mosque, or Bey’s Mosque, as it is known locally, was built in the center of Baščaršija in 1530. Bey’s Mosque was designed by Adžem Esir Ali, a Persian from Tabriz, who was the chief architect in the Ottoman Empire at that time.

The mosque was built as part of a vakuf (endowment) established by the Ottoman Governor, Gazi Husrev Bey, who governed Bosnia, more or less continuously, from 1521 until his death in 1541.

Today, this mosque is rightly seen as the most important architectural monument from the time of Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are many Bosnian leaders buried in the mosque’s courtyard, including Reis-ul-Ulema, Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević; the politician, Dr. Mehmed Spaho; the reformer, Ali Bey Firdus; the poet, Safvet Bey Bašagić….