Šarena Džamija, (; or ; ) meaning Decorated Mosque in English but also variably translated as Painted Mosque, is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

located near the Pena River in

Tetovo Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. The mosque was originally built in 1438 and later rebuilt in 1833 by Abdurrahman Pasha. Unlike other mosques of the Classical Ottoman period, the Šarena Mosque is more characteristic of traditional mosques in Anatolia, as it was constructed before the conquest of Constantinople, when Byzantine-influenced mosque domes became the standard design.

History

The Šarena Džamija was originally built in 1438.Pg 106 - The architect behind the Šarena Džamija was Isak Bey. Most mosques of the time had

sultans Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

beys Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

pashas Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of Egypt and it was also us ...

financing their constructions, but the Šarena Džamija, however, was financed by two sisters from Tetovo.Enduring Time « Notes from Near and Far
/ref> As with many mosques, a

hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

was built nearby across the river. The site used to include an

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

as well as a bathhouse on the other side of the river. The current courtyard of the Šarena Džamija is filled with many flowers, a fountain, and a

Türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

. The octagonal "türbe" houses the resting places of Hurshida and Mensure, the two sisters who financed the construction of the mosque in 1438. Abdurrahman Pasha, a great enthusiast of art who was fond of Tetovo, reconstructed the Šarena Džamija in 1833. In 1991, the Islamic Community in Tetovo built walls around the mosque in the typical classical Ottoman style. In 2010, a renovation of the exterior paintings was completed and, with a €94,700 grant from the United States State Department, the façade was reconstructed and preserved in 2011.

Architecture

Unlike the traditional Ottoman ceramic tile decorations in mosques, the Šarena Džamija has bright floral paintings.Lonely Planet Western Balkans – Google Books
/ref> More than 30,000 eggs were used to prepare the paint and glaze that went into the elaborate decorations. Another major difference between the Šarena Džamija and other Ottoman mosques is that the Šarena Džamija does not have a distinctive exterior dome,
/ref> as the architecture of the mosques styles the early Constantinople Ottoman Architecture. The distinguishing feature of the mosque is its painted decorations. Abdurrahman Pasha commissioned, for this purpose, masters from

Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...

who painted the ornamentation with oil paints. In addition to the geometric and floral ornamentation, landscape is also encountered. Among the pictorial decorations, especially attractive is the depiction of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, a rare and perhaps the only example of the illustration of the shrine of the Islamic prophet,

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, in southeast Europe.

Gallery

File:Facade of Pasha's Mosque - Tetova (Tetovo) - Macedonia.jpg, Details of the painted walls of the Šarena Džamija. File:TetovoSarenadzamijadvor.jpg, Courtyard. File:Шарена џамија 2.jpg, Šarena Džamija. File:Šarena Džamija vnatrešnost 01.JPG, The interior of the Šarena Džamija. File:Oldtetovo1.gif, Šarena Džamija. File:Interior of Pasha's Mosque - Tetova (Tetovo) - Macedonia - 02.jpg, The interior of the Šarena Džamija. File:Шарена Џамија.jpg, Šarena Džamija. File:Mirhab der Bunten Moschee.jpg,

Mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

. File:Шарена Џамија-Тетово (1932).jpg, Šarena Džamija in 1932. File:The Colorful Mosque of Tetovo , Шарена џамија Тетово 19.jpg, Inside the Šarena Džamija.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarena Dzamija Ottoman mosques in North Macedonia Tetovo Buildings and structures completed in 1438 Mosques completed in the 1430s