Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Ferhadija)

Ferhadija, or the Ferhat-paša Mosque, is the most famous mosque in Banja Luka, in the very heart of the city, close to Kastel Fortress. It was built in 1579 on the orders of the powerful Bosnian governor Ferhad-paša Sokolović, in the classical Ottoman style, one of the finest 16th-century achievements in this region.

Tradition holds that it was built by a pupil of the famous Mimar Sinan, and the funds came as a ransom the pasha received for a captured Austrian nobleman. The mosque is graced by a harmonious dome and a slender minaret over forty metres tall, and beside it stand a fountain, türbes and an old cemetery, with a nearby clock tower added later. Faithfully restored to its original plans and reopened in 2016, it unites Ottoman splendour with the calm of a sacred place. Listed as cultural heritage back in 1950, it is an essential stop on any visit to Banja Luka.