An exhibition of a Qur’an copy that dates back to 1579 was organized in Pljevlja, Bosnia during the 450th anniversary of the construction of the historic mosque of Hussein Pasha, Total Montenegro News reported.
“This copy is invaluable as it’s one of the best examples of Qur’anic text in the Sandzak region because of its decorated intense colors which include gold, green blue and red,” explained Jakub Durgut, the mosque’s Bosniak muezzin.
The Qur’an copy of the medieval Ottoman official Hussein Pasha Boljanic is preserved in the mosque built between 1573 and 1594, and the copy is considered as one of the most beautiful manuscripts of the Qur’an from the 16th century.
Durgut informed that “the graphics of the copy are beautiful and large, and the ornament is varied. The book is in leather covers sized 39x 28.5 cm and a thickness of 15 cm. The weight is about five kg.”
“The first two pages are particularly decorated with ornaments in more vibrant colors, among which gold and blue are especially highlighted. The historic copy was created in 1579 where its text is printed with black ink in 13 lines on 233 pages and has 352 miniatures made on a golden base,” he continued.
The muezzin informed that the historic copy wasn’t exposed to visitors due to the inability of adequate protection and appealed to anyone who could give their contribution to keeping the mobile good in the right way.
In Historic Mosque
In light of the celebration of the historic mosque’s 450th anniversary, a stamp was issued as a promotion for the jubilee. The main architect of the mosque is assumed to be the famous builder Hajrudin who designed the Old Bridge of Mostar in south Bosnia.
The mosque is 17.2 meters long, 13.10 wide, and its walls are 112 cm thick where it’s made of finely carved stone. By its unique architecture, Hussein Pasha Mosque represents a unique building and occupies a prominent place among the monuments of Islamic art in the Bosnian region of Sandzak.
The 42-meter-high minaret is considered to be the highest in the Balkans. Above the entrance is a porch that’s held by four marble pillars and is covered with three large domes. The interior of the mosque is illuminated with 25 windows, and the dome is richly decorated with arabesque.
The mosque is covered with a carpet from 1573 – a special and precious artwork that Hussein Pasha sent from Egypt where he governed and which is known for its prestigious textile industry.
Pljevlja, where the exhibit has taken place, is the region’s second largest city with 31,060 people in which the majority of whom are Muslim Bosniaks.