Kodi Seyfullah Efendi Camii (Banya Bashi Mosque)
During the years of Ottoman occupation there were 70 mosques in Sofia, but today there is only one still functioning. Banya Bashi Mosque was built in 1576 by Mimar Sinan, who also built the Sultan Selim Mosque in Edirne and Istanbul’s famous Blue Mosque. The mosque’s finest feature is its domed ceiling, restored to its original design after the fall of Communism. Loudspeakers call the city’s Muslim minority to prayer five times a day: on Friday there can be as many as 400 worshippers in attendance. The mosque is not officially open as a tourist attraction but visitors are welcome outside prayer times, including women, just be sure to dress respectfully.The inside is decorated with fine blue tiles and calligraphy, citing texts from the Koran, as the portrayal of human figures is banned in Islamic art. Known as Banya Bashi, meaning “many baths”, outside the mosque there are the small remains of the original “hammam “(Turkish baths).
