HADUM MOSQUE

Built between 1575 and 1595, this monument (Xhamia e Hadumit, Hadum džamija) is the epicenter of the city. It is the oldest and most prestigious mosque in Gjakova/Đakovica. Hadum Mosque is also the only large building from the Ottoman period that partially survived the destruction of March 1999. This is what makes it so valuable. However, through alterations, degradations and reconstructions, the building designed by Mimar Sinan has lost much of its authenticity.

History

Main center of diffusion of Islam in the region, the mosque was created by two high officials of the Ottoman Empire. After four centuries without any trouble, its near destruction in 1999 made it an international symbol for the protection of cultural and religious heritage.

Sponsor and architect. The sponsor of the building was Hadum Suleiman Aǧa Bizeban. In 1582, he was the first Darüssaade aǧası (head of the eunuchs of the imperial harem) in the Ottoman Empire. This position ensured a certain financial ease for this Albanian native of Guska (6 km southwest). To build the mosque, Hadum ("servant" or "eunuch" in Turkish) called, around 1575, the greatest artist in Ottoman history: Mimar Sinan (1489-1588), chief architect of the sultans and designer of about four hundred buildings. It is not certain, however, that the old mimar ("architect" in Turkish) came to supervise the work on site. In any case, he did not see the end of it. For reasons that are unknown, the work lasted two decades and was completed six years after his death.

Style. While the rest of the complex was influenced by local architecture, the "classical" Ottoman style was adopted for the mosque itself. The care taken in the decoration and the range of materials used also demonstrate a certain refinement. However, if it is indeed one of the most beautiful mosques in Kosovo, it has nothing of the grandeur and power of other buildings designed by Sinan, such as the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul or the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, to name a few.

Transformations. The mosque was transformed in 1842, in particular with the addition of a porch of Arab-Andalusian inspiration. But the rest of the building has passed the centuries without a hitch. Classified as a "cultural monument of exceptional importance" by Serbia in 1955, the mosque was completely renovated in 1968. But thirty years later, Serbian forces targeted it at the beginning of the NATO air intervention on March 24, 1999. The porch was set on fire and the minaret was decapitated with a heavy weapon. When the top of the minaret fell, the precious Islamic library next to it was lost. In fact, almost the entire complex was destroyed, and only the interior of the mosque was relatively unscathed.

International law and renovation. Among the 225 mosques destroyed or damaged during the Kosovo war, this one became a symbol. On March 26, 1999, two days after the attack on the Hadum mosque, an additional protocol to the Hague Convention was created to strengthen the protection of cultural property in case of conflict. It is on the particular case of this mosque, that the Serbian president Slobodan Milošević had to answer before the International Tribunal of The Hague, on April 9, 2002. The reconstruction and renovation work began in 2000 under the direction of Saudi Arabia. In 2003, two British and American associations took over. The mosque and its new complex were completed in October 2005, except for the library, which was added in 2016.

Visit

The complex includes the mosque as well as an Islamic school(medersa), a fountain for ablutions, a cemetery and a library.

Architecture. Facing southeast towards Mecca, it is preceded by a porch topped by three domes. This porch houses the wooden door, which is particularly decorated. The stone walls are more than 1 m thick. The minaret, 31 m high, stands on the right of the mosque. Inside, eight pillars support large half-domes. The central dome measures 13.50 m in diameter and rises 12.60 m above the ground. Eleven windows, three on each side except for the façade, which has only two, bring light to the prayer hall. All the domes are covered with lead.

Decorations. Completely redone in 2000-2005, the interior decorations are particularly rich. Green and, above all, blue dominate the palette used to create these frescoes in Albanian-Ottoman style: floral motifs, cypresses, two large Ottoman mosques, geometric motifs, arabesques and calligraphy of verses from the Koran. Particular attention has been paid to the acoustics. The upper walls are perforated with small holes. Each of these holes is connected to a small tube circulating in the wall and allowing the sounds to be diffused optimally.

Furniture. The mihrab, visible in front of the entrance, is finely sculpted and decorated. To the right of it, the minbar, used during the preaching of the great Friday prayer, is decorated with carved and painted wood. The balcony, or mahfili in Turkish, is made of wood and rests on wooden pillars painted with geometric patterns. It is reserved for women and has a separate entrance from the minaret's staircase. The garden contains ancient tombs with particularly beautiful carved stones. On the right side is the new library.