JUMAYA MOSQUE (FRIDAY MOSQUE)

This gem of stone and brick architecture was built in the ^15th century during the reign of Sultan Murad II, on the site of the former Christian church of St. Petka. This huge, superb mosque, integrated into the pedestrianized city center of the modern, trendy Kapana district, sees an influx of worshippers on Fridays. The building boasts a total of nine domes and some very fine oriental frescoes. A sundial donated by a Russian officer was placed on the south façade in 1878. The wooden façade on the north side is a masterpiece and houses a café with a pleasant terrace. Beautifully preserved and enhanced, flanked by palm trees and bordering the Roman stadium, it is a jewel of the city center, marking the urban landscape and contributing to the magical atmosphere of modern Plovdiv. Opposite the café whose terrace adjoins the building, a kebab restaurant perfumes the street. It's a mosque that's both imposing and respected, and a building that's well integrated into the modern city. A rallying point, a tourist attraction and a place of worship for the Muslim community, the Djoumaya mosque marks and magnifies the busiest square in the modern city center. It is undeniably one of Plovdiv's greatest assets. A must-see in a district where cults and epochs collide, where you'll find the tourist office, prestigious boutiques and street food outlets, and which sees a perpetual ballet of passers-by and strollers all day and late into the night.