Ferhadija Mosque (Ferhad Bey’s Mosque) is located right in the center of town, on the corner of Ferhadija St. and Vladislava Skarića St., which is in close proximity to Europe Hotel, Tašlihan and Gazi Husrev Bey’s Bezistan.

It is presumed that the mosque was erected sometime between 1561 and 1562 by the Sanjak Bey, Ferhad Bey Vuković-Desisalić. This mosque exemplifies the classical style of Ottoman architecture which was perfected during the Ottoman Empire’s “Golden Age”.

During the original construction, a mekteb (children’s school) was built alongside the mosque, as well as an imaret (public kitchen), a fountain and covered fountain, all of which went up in flames in the fires of 1679 and 1897. For this reason, there is now only a small cemetery with some twenty tombstones in the mosque’s courtyard. 

The famous Sarajevo chronicler, Mula Mustafa Bašeskija, worked for a while as a teacher at the mekteb.

Ferhadija Mosque was badly damaged during the last war when several grenades struck the main cupola, causing it to be entirely removed in 2007.

Reconstruction on the mosque was carried out in two phases, the first involved repairing the damage caused by grenades and the second saw the restoration of the arabesque paintings on the walls and inverted domes.

As a result of the restoration process, works from the 16^th and 17^th century (Austro-Hungarian period) are now visible, as well as other artistic styles, making it possible to read more into the history of the entire structure. The oldest features to undergo restoration were the mihrab (a niche in the wall which indicates the direction of Mecca) and the lights, which date from the 16^th century.

Ferhad Bey’s Mosque and the adjacent cemetery are considered a single complex, which was made a National Monument of BiH in 2004.