Clock Tower in Sarajevo

Sarajevo Clock Tower is one of the most recognizable symbols of Sarajevo, located next to Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in the heart of Baščaršija. It is about thirty meters tall, and was built by Gazi Husrev-beg, one of the greatest Bosnian benefactors of the Ottoman era. The tower is a unique structure in Europe – the clock measures lunar, a la turca time, according to which midnight occurs at sunset in Sarajevo.

Since the length of the day changes almost daily, the clock has to be adjusted manually all the time, which the muvekit does once a week by climbing 76 wooden steps. The Gillett & Johnston clock mechanism was built in 1873 in London, and two Sarajevo merchants brought it to Sarajevo in 1874. During Ramadan, when the clock strikes 24, iftar begins – kandilji are lit on Begova džamija, and a cannon is fired from Bijela tabija. It was declared a national monument of BiH in 2006.