Banya Bashi Mosque

Banya Bashi Mosque (Bulgarian: Баня баши джамия, Banya bashi dzhamiya; Turkish: Banya Başı Camii) is a Sunni Islamic mosque in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Banya Bashi Mosque
Баня Баши джамия
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Mosque
Status	Active
Location
Location	Sofia
Country	Bulgaria
Location within Sofia
Geographic coordinates	42°41′58″N 23°19′21″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mimar Sinan
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Ottoman
Completed	1566
Specifications
Dome(s)	One
Dome dia. (inner)	15 m (49 ft)
Minaret(s)	One
Materials	Brick
[1]

History

The mosque was designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and completed in 1566, during the years the Ottomans had control of the city. The mosque derives its name from the phrase Banya Bashi, which means many baths. In the Turkish language Banyo means bath and Baş (pronounced Bash) means 'head' or 'main', so looking at the location it is built on, a more logical translation of the name would be 'Head of the bath mosque'. The most outstanding feature of the mosque is that it was actually built over natural thermal spas; one can even see the steam rising from vents in the ground near the mosque walls. The mosque is famous for its large 15 m-diameter (49 ft) dome, and the minaret.

Currently, the Banya Bashi Mosque is the only functioning mosque in Sofia, a remnant of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria that lasted nearly five centuries, and is used by the city's Muslim community.

In 21 May 2011, the mosque was stage of the Banya Bashi Mosque clashes between the Muslims and the Far-right party Ataka.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Banya Bashi Mosque from the west
• 
  Banya Bashi Mosque north side
• 
  Banya Bashi Mosque south side

See also

• Bulgaria portal
• Islam portal

• Islam in Bulgaria
• List of mosques in Bulgaria
• Turks in Bulgaria