Karađoz Bey Mosque

The Karađoz-beg Mosque is the largest and one of the most beautiful mosques in Herzegovina, set in the heart of Mostar. It was built in 1557–1558 to the designs of the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, the only building this master designed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was raised by the Mostar benefactor Mehmed-beg Karađoz, whose endowment also left a medrese, schools, a public kitchen, bridges and more.

It is a classical domed mosque: the central square space is covered by a dome over ten metres across, on an octagonal drum adorned with stone stalactites, while a slender fourteen-sided minaret about 34 metres high rises beside it. Its special value lies in its preserved original painting – the mosque hides four painted layers created over the centuries, with motifs recalling the Herzegovinian landscape. Today it is restored and listed among the national monuments of BiH.