Member of:
Language:
No booking fees!
FREE cancellation in most cases!
Hotels in Sofia
Banya Bashi Mosque
The Banya Bashi Mosque was built in 1576 as a part of a larger complex around the mineral baths (as you might know the Thracians settled in Sofia due to its abundance of mineral springs).
The dome of this brick building has a diameter of 15 metres, and the building is the only remaining model of a domed roof on a cubic base in Bulgaria. The greatest of all Ottoman architects, Mimar Sinan, who was a chief architect of the Sultan, built the present day Banya Bashi Mosque. The Sultan Selim Mosque in Edirne and the Blue mosque in Istanbul, Turkey are also among his works.
The Banya Bashi Mosque is the one working mosque in Sofia. The interior is decorated with fine calligraphy, citing texts from the Koran /Holy Book for the Muslims/, as the images of human figures are prohibited in Islamic art. In fact, because of its style and architecture we naturally infer that it is a typical monument of the Ottoman architecture which adds a different nuance to the colourful Sofia city centre. What is notable for the mosque is the domed ceiling, which was restored to its original design, after the fall of Communism. There are loudspeakers installed on the minaret calling the Muslim minority to pray five times a day.
Please, take into account that the mosque is not officially opened as a tourist landmark, but visitors are also welcome outside the prayer times /women to be modestly dressed/
Banya Bashi means literally ‘a lot of baths’ and its name was derived from the neighbouring Central Baths.
Next to the Banya Bashi there are thermal springs, and there are even taps where you can drink fresh mineral water for free.
Banya Bashi Mosque on the map of Sofia
Other religious buildings in Sofia
Hotels in Sofia
- Anel Hotel
- Arena di Serdika Boutique Hotel
- Grand Hotel Sofia
- Hilton Sofia Hotel
- Holiday Inn hotel
- Hyatt Regency Sofia Hotel
- Intercontinental Sofia (ex Radisson Blu Grand Hotel)
- Sofia Hotel Balkan a Luxury Collection Hotel (ex Sheraton Hotel)
- Best Western Hotel Europe
- Best Western Premier Sofia Airport
- Central Hotel
- City Hotel
- Crystal Palace Hotel
- Downtown Hotel
- Festa Sofia Hotel
- Geneva Hotel
- Gloria Palace Hotel
- Hill Hotel
- Hotel Coop
- Les Fleurs Hotel
- Metropolitan hotel
- Novotel Sofia
- Ramada by Wyndham Sofia City Center
- Rodina Hotel
- Rosslyn Central Park Hotel
- Rosslyn Thracia Hotel
- Salt Palace Hotel
- Sveta Sofia Hotel
- The Stay Hotel Expo Center
- VEGA Hotel Sofia
- Vitosha Park Hotel
- Akord Hotel
- Aleksander Palace - Advi
- Arte Hotel
- Best Western Losenets Hotel
- Best Western Plus Bristol
- Brod Hotel
- Budapest hotel
- Earth and People hotel
- Hemus Hotel
- Legends hotel
- Light hotel
- Lion Hotel
- Maxim Hotel
- Meg-Lozenets Hotel
- Montecito Hotel
- Park Hotel Moskva
- Rocentro /ex Renaissance Hotel/
- Slavyanska Beseda Hotel
- Sofia Place Hotel
- Medic Hotel
Upcoming events in Sofia
- Sofia Dance Week 2010
- Art festival in Sofia city
- Scorpions in Sofia city 2010
- International Feline Show in Sofia
- Paco De Lucia performs in Bulgaria
- Drumset Competition 2010- Sofia Drum Day
- TOP 100 DJs party Monarchy performs in Bulgaria
- Chris Norman performs in Bulgaria 2010
- Harlem Gospel Choir performs in Bulgara
- Yann Tiersen's concert for Students Holiday
- Disco Legends Boney M concert in Bulgaria
- Legendary Firewind performs in Sofia
- Barclay James Harvest performs in Bulgaria
- Vaya Con Dios in Bulgaria
- 15th Sofia International Film Festival
- Absent Minded
- Concert of the queen of fado Marisa in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Guano Apes in Bulgaria
- Toto Cutugno in Bulgaria
- Manu Chao in Sofia city
- Children of Bodom in Bulgaria
- Alphaville in Sofia
- Rosalia de Souza in Bulgaria
- Vassil Vassilev and Chambao
- 100 Gypsy Violins in Bulgaria
- Raul Midon in Bulgaria
- Omega- the most successful Hungarian Rock Band gigs in Bulgaria
- Joe Cocker
- Roxette in Sofia, Bulgaria 2011
- Isthar in Sofia city
- Sting in Bulgaria
- CINDERELLA & MR.BIG in Bulgaria
- Dragana Mircovich and Vesna Zmijanac gig in Bulgaria
- Michel Legrand in Bulgaria
- Linkin Park in Bulgaria
- Mellow Music Festival
- Omara Portuondo and Buena Vista Social Club in Bulgaria
- ARASH feat. Rebecca concert in Bulgaria
- Mor Karbasi’s concert in Bulgaria
- Alice Russel in Sofia city
- Gipsy Kings gig in Bulgaria
- Jean Michel Jarre in Bulgaria
- Eric Sardinas concert
- Pooh gigs in Bulgaria
- Manhattan Transfer's concert in Bulgaria
- Hindi Zahra’s concert in Bulgaria
- Amon Amarth concert in Bulgaria
- Sade gigs in Bulgaria in November
- Genesis gigs in Bulgaria
- Julio Iglesias concert
- Sofia Rocks festival 2012
- Jennifer Lopez- concert in Bulgaria
- Depeche Mode performs in Bulgaria in May 2013
Places to go in Sofia
- St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral
- Boyana Church
- National Museum of History
- Alexander Nevsky Crypt Icon museum
- Vitosha Nature Park
- “Ivan Vazov” National Theatre
- The St. Petka Samardjiska Church /St. Petka of the Saddlers/
- Borisova Gradina Park (Central Park)
- Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art
- St. George Rotunda-the oldest Eastern European Orthodox church
- Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts
- National Archaeological Museum
- Fountains in Sofia
- Public gardens and green areas
- St. Sofia church- ancient Eastern Orthodox church in Sofia
- St. Nikolay Russian church
- Sofia botanical garden
- Church of the Holy Seven
- Sofia Zoo
- Bulgarian Natural History Museum
- Sofia City Art Gallery
- Pancharevo lake
- Ethnographic Museum
- St. Nedelya church
- Museum of Earth and Man
- Sofia University Botanic Garden
- Cathedral of St Joseph
- Independence Square
- Boyana waterfall
- Alexander Nevski Square
- King Alexander Battenberg Square
- National Assembly's building in Sofia
- Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
- Vitosha Boulevard
- St. Paraskeva Church
- Eagle's Bridge
- Atanas Burov Square
- St. 40 Martyrs Church
- Oborishte street
- Rila monastery
- Slaveikov square
- National Palace of Culture
- National Library St. St. Cyril and Metodius
- Banya Bashi Mosque
- Jewish synagogue in Sofia
- Lion's bridge
- Law Courts
Deals & discounts in Sofia
News from Sofia
- Bulgaria’s National history museum included in the EU project “Museums present Europe”
- International Festival of the Masquerade Games in Pernik town, Bulgaria
- Ice Bar in Sofia city
- Burgas, Varna, Sofia – included in 100 Global Cities Destination Ranking
- Skiing in Vitosha mountain
- Sofia hotels in top 10 capital cities worldwide
- Festival “Skiing and snowboarding in the city” is held in Sofia
- Days of challenges in Sofia city
- Bon Jovi visits Bulgaria in 2013
- No restored ski equipment at Vitosha Mountain
- New cultural and historic route Sveta Gora
- International kids folklore festival in Sofia city
- Low cost flights from Sofia airport to Budapest
- Ski competition at Vetrovala in Vitosha Mountain today
- 16th International Sofia Movie festival
- Sofia is the cheapest holiday destination in Europe
- Christmas traditions will be presented in Ethnographic museum in Sofia
- Central Mineral bath in Sofia becomes a museum and SPA centre
- Sofia is the cheapest holiday destination in Europe
- 3 Airline Carriers Stop Winter Flights to Sofia
- A growth of 6,6% of passengers at Sofia airport
- Tourist information centre opened at Sofia Airport
- Gipsy Kings performance is postponed
- French Movie Festival in Sofia city
- Cheapest hotels in Sofia city
Touroperator
