Arnaudija continued to live in the hearts of Banja Luka residents even after its demolition

(Patria) - Arnaudija, Deftedarija and the Mosque of Hasan defterdar are the names by which the mosque built at the beginning of the 16th century in Banja Luka is known. Its benefactor was Hasan defterdar, the minister of finance in the Bosnian Eyalet.

For 400 years it adorned the heart of the city on the Vrbas River. People, authorities, times and systems changed, but Arnaudija always remained a meeting place, a symbol of peace and love for God and creation. Mined and destroyed by the aggressor, it continued to live in the hearts of those who grew up in its courtyard.

Sultanija Jakirlić and Muharem Tulek were on different sides of the world at the time of the demolition, but they were overwhelmed by the same feelings - pain, sadness and fear.

"We were watching the news in Tripoli, because I was working in Libya at the time. At the end of the news, they reported that the mosques had been demolished. I only mustered the strength to go out for some air. It is difficult to describe that feeling and the emotions that prevailed," Tulek tells us.

Just as Sultanija knows herself, she also knows Arnaudija. On May 7, 1993, she was in Banja Luka with her husband.

"We lived normally, without any problems. When the war started, we thought nothing would happen to anyone. I never wanted to leave Banja Luka; we sent the children away. That night I heard a strong explosion. I couldn't guess that something like that had happened. I remember we went to collect prayer beads, stones; everything was scattered for kilometers," recalls Jakirlić.

Tulek returned to Banja Luka during 1993; he never doubted that the mosque would be rebuilt.

"One morning I was going to work and I saw that a rose had bloomed at the entrance to Ferhadija. A bright red color. I knew we would bring back Ferhadija, and also Arnaudija, because they were symbols of our city," Muharem tells us.

He adds that the reconstruction process was not simple or easy.

"It was very difficult at the beginning. Everything was occupied. The fences of the mosques were demolished. There were garbage dumps in the courtyards. It took a lot of effort to bring back our mosques. And here, thank God, we succeeded. We lived to see the reconstruction of the last mosque," Muharem says with pride.

Sultanija adds that throughout the entire reconstruction process they stood by the mosques, that they were persistent and unafraid.

"I never wanted to leave. I stay here and endure. Everything has passed, and we remained," she says, joyful to witness the opening of Deftedarija.

Mosques are guardians of the identity and unity of Muslims. Within its walls, the believer finds special peace and well-being.

These are places from which messages of coexistence, peace and love spread, as we witness today, on the Day of Mosques and the ceremonial opening of Arnaudija.