Restoration of Mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina

This book is a comprehensive record of the restoration work coordinated by IRCICA on five monumental mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina namely Neziraga Mosque in Mostar, Sevri Hadži Hasan Mosque in Mostar, Karadjozbeg Mosque in Mostar, Hadži Alija Mosque in Počitelj, and Aladža Mosque in Foča.Thefirst four restorations werecarriedoutas individualprojectseach after theendof the war.Thefifth oneisunder implementation. Reconstruction of Neziraga Mosque in 1999, which was the earliest of the above projects, formed an example for not only the four other projects but for many other similar efforts. All fiveprojects were financedthrough donations: Neziraga Mosqueprojectby H.H. Sheikh Hadži Hasan Mosqueby the World Monuments Fund, New Yamani, President of Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2004). Technical design for the restoration of Aladža Mosque has been financed by ISAR Waqf, Istanbul.

Amply illustrated with colourphotographs andsupplemented with maps anddrawings, thebook can serve as a rich reference for those interestedin any aspect of these mosques and their restoration: history, characteristics, rebuilding, restoration of outer and interior elements including decorations and inscriptions, among others. The elaborate Introduction of the book gives a comprehensive overview of the Islamic urban heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the historyof its formation, mosques in particular andtheir architectural monumentsunderwent throughout history andparticularly abrief history of each of the cities where these mosques are located, describing the background and environment of each of the mosques under study. In the Islamic urban context, destruction of a mosque means loss of the core and disruption of the pattern. Restoration of the core therefore means recovery andrehabilitation of the area. The value addedtothebuildingis in itself significant since it reflects communal consciousnessof cultural identity