The Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque (, ) is an early 17th-century mosque in
Pécs
Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
, southern
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. It was constructed when the region was part of the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, together with the main mosque of Pécs, the
Mosque of Pasha Qasim (which has since been consecrated as a cathedral). It was named after the local government official who commissioned the mosque, Yakovalı Hasan Paşa, or Hasan
Pasha
Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...
of Yakova. It is thus one of the oldest mosques existing in Hungary today, and is considered to be the most intact Hungarian mosque to have survived from the Ottoman era. The mosque is still active as a Muslim place of worship, and also houses a small exhibition centre for Turkish handicraft and historical artifacts documenting
Hungary's Ottoman past.
History
The mosque was built several decades after the Ottoman conquest of central Hungary. Its architect and exact date of construction are unknown. Several sources speculate that it was built in the late 16th century, but it is more likely that it was constructed in the 1630s. The mosque was named after its benefactor who established a
vakuf (endowment) for the mosque's construction, Yakovalı Hasan Paşa, or Hasan
Pasha
Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...
of Yakova. The "Yakova" in his epithet either refers to the town of
Gjakova
Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
in
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
or
Đakovo
Đakovo (; , , sr-Cyrl, Ђаково) is a town in the region of Slavonia, Croatia. Đakovo is the centre of the fertile and rich Đakovo region ( ).
Etymology
The etymology of the name is the (diákos) in Slavic form đak (pupil). The Hungar ...
in present-day Croatia. Yakovalı Hasan participated in the successful siege of
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...
(Varat) in 1660, and defended Pécs and
Kanizsa against the troops of Miklós Zrínyi in 1664. He also took part in the border demarcations following the
Peace of Vasvár.
The mosque was in use for about half a century before being presumably abandoned from late 1686 when
Pécs was captured by Austrian forces, after which it served as a
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
. Between 1702 and 1732, it was converted into a Catholic chapel by the Bishop Wilhelm Franz von Nesselrode. During this time, the
minaret
A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...
was turned into a
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
, with the ruined
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
being replaced with a
belfry. Its interior was decorated with
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
carvings which were then in fashion.
The mosque was first restored in the 1960s, when the minaret was repaired and the Baroque ornamentation removed to restore the mosque to its original condition. A second restoration was conducted in the 2000s, in time for Pécs's designation as the European Capital for Culture in 2010 (along with
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
and
Essen
Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
).
The mosque is open to the public on designated days except Mondays and
Friday services from 2.30 to 3.30 pm. Its upkeep is funded by private donations as well as grants from the
Turkish state. A permanent exhibition opened in 2022, with Turkey providing interior furnishings from the 16th century.
Architecture
Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque has a relatively simple structure, with a square base surmounted by a typical Turkish dome and
ogee
An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve—often seen in architecture and building trades—that has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (Sigmoid curve, sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircle, semicircula ...
windows. As with all mosques, it is orientated towards
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 ...
and thus has a northwest–southeast axis. The
minaret
A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...
is 22.5 m high. A flight of stairs leads to the top of the minaret, but due to stability concerns the entrance is sealed off to visitors. The balcony was once adorned with a stone railing. On religious holidays the minaret used to be lit up with
oil lamp
An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. The ...
s (see also
mahya lights). It is one of only three Ottoman-era minarets remaining in Hungary, and the only one still attached to a mosque and retaining its original function.
There was once a foyer on the northwest side of the mosque, part of a larger complex which included a
tekke (a sort of monastery for sufi dervishes), an
imaret (
soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...
for the needy), and a
madrassa (Islamic school).
A statue of the Ottoman chronicler
İbrahim Peçevi (Ibrahim of Pécs), by Turkish sculptor
Metin Yurdanur
Metin Yurdanur (born 1951) is a sculptor based in Turkey, who was awarded the title State Artist (Turkey), State Artist of Turkey.
Early years
Yurdanur was born in 1951 in Sivrihisar town of Eskişehir Province in Turkey. He spent his childhood ...
, was unveiled before the mosque in 2016.
Gallery
File:Pécs Osmanische Moschee Innen 3.JPG, Main prayer hall. The 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".
...
, where the imam
Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
leads congregational prayers, is in the centre
File:Pécs Osmanische Moschee Innen 2.JPG, Another view of the prayer hall, with prayer rug
A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, some Christians, especially in Orthodox Christianity and some followers of the Baháʼí Faith during prayer.
In Islam, a prayer mat is placed between th ...
s. The small wooden structure near the corner is a ''kürsü'' or loge for delivering lectures other than Friday sermons at the minbar, and is typical of Turkish mosques
File:Pécs Osmanische Moschee Innen Minbar.JPG, The minbar
A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...
or pulpit. Both the minbar and the kürsü are made from rosewood
Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
.The Mosque of Pasha Yakovali Hassan, Pécs.
Danube Tourism. Retrieved 1 June 2023
File:Pécs Osmanische Moschee Innen Kuppel.JPG, Interior of the dome
File:Hungary pecs - jakovali2.jpg, Koran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
on the stand with a sign reads “This carpet is a present of the Turkish Ministry of Culture”
File:Yakovali Hassan mosque, museum 1.jpg, Exhibition corner
File:Yakovali Hassan mosque side.jpg, Wall of the mosque with windows
References
External links
Official Website of the Mosque of Yakovalı Hasan Paşa (In English, Hungarian, and Turkish)Irány Pécs (Visit Pécs): The Mosque of Pasha Yakovali Hassan
Further reading
* ''Dercsényi Dezső, Pogány Frigyes, Szentkirályi Zoltán'': - Pécs, Műszaki Könyvkiadó, Budapest 1966
* ''Rados Jenő:'' Magyar építészettörténet (p. 161-168) - 1961. Bp. Műszaki K. - ETO 72 (439) 091
* ''Szerk. Fülep L.'': A magyarországi művészet története (p. 371-372) - Bp.1961. Képzőmúv. Alap K. - Kossuth Ny. 61.3465.
* ''Goldziher Ignác'': Az iszlám kultúrája - Gondolat K. Bp. 1981. -
* ''Francis Robinson'': Az iszlám világ atlasza. Ford. Dezsényi Katalin. Budapest: Helikon; Magyar Könyvklub. 1996. -
* ''H. Stierlin'': Türkei - Architektur von Seldschuken bis Osmanen - Taschen Weltarchitektur -
* ''H. Stierlin'': Iszlám művészet és építészet - Bp. Alexandra K. -
utazzitthon.hu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakovalı Hasan Pasa Mosque
17th-century establishments in Hungary
17th-century mosques in the Ottoman Empire
Buildings and structures in Pécs
Mosque buildings with domes in Europe
Ottoman mosques in Hungary
Tourist attractions in Pécs
Mosque buildings with minarets in Europe