Extended galleries above the porch in two mosques: Qualitative analysis of mosques with wooden minaret in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Among the many mosques from the Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most numerous are modest and predominantly wooden mosques covered by a hip roof with an integrated wooden minaret. Although they originate in the long tradition of Turkish single-space mosques, their appearance and construction represent the expression of Bosnian autochthonous architecture. They were mostly built for the needs of the neighborhood (mahala) in smaller and larger towns, but also in rural areas. Due to the perishable materials and various other reasons, they had been renovated several times so changes in appearance were in some cases quite certain. These structures have been insufficiently researched and very few valuable publications are available so far.

Qualitative analysis of significant examples, in addition to the common features by which these mosques differ from large monumental mosques, differences in the spatial concept, as well as the construction of individual elements, were observed. Concerning the shape of the entrance, these mosques have four characteristic solutions: a mosque with a porch, with a porch and a gallery, without a porch, and with a closed vestibule. The analysis also showed that the two mahala mosques in Tuzla had a specific gallery form that deviated from the typical solution. These galleries are extended over the porch on three sides by the application of ingenious carpentry solutions and covered with elongated eaves. In addition, this study showed that thanks to available sources, it was possible to re-establish the original form of the two mosques, which had since been altered.