Monday, March 12, 2012

Bajrakli Mosque in Belgrade, Serbia







Today we visited the only mosque in Belgrade, the Bajrakli Mosque.  The mosque fits our GCP theme of revolution.  It was built by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire in 1575.  The building was converted into a Catholic church during Austrian rule (1717-1739).  With the return of the Turks in 1741, it was converted back into a mosque.  After restoration by Serbian noblemen in the 19th century, it survived major damage during WWII, the Soviet occupation of Yugoslavia, and Serbian independence.  Arsonists set fire to the mosque in 2004, but it was repaired.  About 3% of the Serbian population are Sunni Muslims.






We all had to take off our shoes before entering the mosque and the women had to ensure their hair was covered.



Tomorrow we will be leaving our lovely hostel in Belgrade for Nis.


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