Plovdiv Dzhumaya Mosque | Bulgaria | Things To Do In Bulgaria | Mosques in Bulgaria
Dzhumaya Mosque is the main Muslim shrine in Plovdiv. The mosque is with dimensions 40 by 30 meters and is situated in the center of today’s pedestrian zone, west of the Old Town. The mosque was built on the site of St. Petka Tarnovska Plovdiv Cathedral Church soon after the conquest of the city by the Ottoman army (1363-64). During the reign of Sultan Murad II (1421-1451) the old building was demolished and today’s mosque, called Ulu Dzhumaya Mosque, meaning Main Friday Mosque, was erected in its place.
The Dzhumaya Mosque is one of the oldest cult Ottoman buildings of the Balkans. It is among the largest ones with its impressive rectangular building, whose salon dimensions are 33 to 27 meters. Its construction shows the influence of Byzantine and Old Bulgarian architecture techniques – two layers of bricks were built up after each layer of stone.
The amazing wall decorations inside the mosque are filled with rich plant ornamentation – twigs, flowers and garlands, sandwiched between medallions with quotations from the Koran. The frescoes probably date from the end of XVII and the beginning of XIX century.
Initially, there was access to the prayer room through two entrances. While believers entered the mosque through the eastern one, the northern one, now serving as the main, led from the market in front of the mosque to the inside of the building through the portal. Today the entrance on the east side is walled up.
Today Dzhumaya Mosque is an active Muslim temple and is visited not only on religious holidays but also during the week by the Muslim religious community in Plovdiv.
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