After 31 years since being set on fire, mined, and demolished: Kizlar-agina Mosque to be ceremonially opened on Sunday

(Patria) - Everything is ready for the opening of the Kizlar-agina Mosque in Mrkonjić Grad, which was set on fire and mined in 1993, and then demolished.

The opening will be held on Sunday before the noon prayer, and guests from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey are expected at the ceremony.

All open-minded, open-hearted, and open-souled people, believers from all parts of BiH, are welcome, because a mosque as an object represents a symbol of bringing people closer, peace, trust, benevolence, uniting people, knowledge, and understanding, which should be particularly emphasized in today's period.

Senaid Zajimović, director of the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community in BiH, said that the reopening of the Kizlar-agina Mosque, as part of the 12th "Waqf Days 2024" event, represents a major event for Mrkonjić Grad, but also for the Islamic Community in BiH.

- We in the Waqf Directorate and the Islamic Community in BiH are greatly pleased to open a mosque in Mrkonjić Grad after so many years, which will certainly, in addition to its purpose, captivate the hearts of all passers-by and visitors to this city and region.

The reopening of the mosque in this area is proof that Muslims in BiH, together with their neighbors, want to build a peaceful and prosperous country - stated Zajimović.

He also emphasized that it is illusory to talk about societies and cities without mosques or places of worship, because places of worship build a sense and awareness of time and space, for general orientation in human lives.

He reminded that the construction of the mosque in Mrkonjić Grad is just one of numerous projects that the Directorate is implementing in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina and which will be opened as part of this year's event on waqfs.

The Kizlar-agina Mosque in Mrkonjić Grad was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Commission for the Preservation of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina at its session in 2005. Therefore, its renovation is of great importance for the entire society.

Regarding the history of the mosque, the exact date of its construction is not known, but according to the data mentioned in two documents, the period of the mosque's origin can be approximately determined.

Namely, according to Kizlar-aga's waqf document dated Jumada al-Akhir 1003 (February 11-20, 1595), it is clear that the mosque was already built by that date, and according to inscriptions on chandeliers from 1001 (1592/1593), the mosque could have been built even before 1592. Everything points to the conclusion that the mosque was built in the period 1591-1595.

During the last aggression, the Kizlar-agina Mosque was set on fire and mined in 1993, then demolished, and the material was transported to a landfill located at the Grabež site.

The rehabilitation of the facility began in June 2013 with the repair of the existing foundations and lasted until the end of 2014, when it was interrupted due to a lack of financial resources. During that period, the mosque building, the large dome, and the pillars and arches of the portico were constructed.

At the request of the Mufti of Banja Luka and the MIZ Mrkonjić Grad, the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community in BiH, through its partners at the General Directorate of Waqfs of the Republic of Turkey, secured funds for the continuation of the works on the reconstruction of the Kizlar-agina Mosque.

A protocol on the continuation of construction was signed in August 2018 between the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community in BiH and the General Directorate of Waqfs of the Republic of Turkey. The reconstruction of the Kizlar-agina Mosque was completed at the end of 2023.