Construction of Aladža Mosque in Foča Begins on Friday

The construction of the Aladža Mosque in Foča, which will be attended by the reisu-l-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein ef. Kavazović, begins on Friday at 11:15 AM, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Plan of activities:
- 11:00 - Welcome of the Reisu-l-ulema / Brod near Foča 
- 11:10 - Arrival at the construction site / Plateau of the Aladža Mosque in Foča 
- 11:15 - Start of construction of the Aladža Mosque 
- 11:45 - Departure from the plateau of the Aladža Mosque and preparation for Friday prayer 
- 12:00 - Friday prayer / Atik Ali-pasha Mosque in Musluk, Foča 

The residents of Foča have waited 22 years for this ceremonial act, and the reisu-l-ulema Kavazović will also lead the Friday prayer at the previously restored Atik Alipašina Mosque in Musluk.

The Aladža Mosque is a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is on the UNESCO list of protected cultural monuments. This mosque was razed to the ground by Serbian forces in August 1992. Its reconstruction is financed by the General Directorate of Foundations of Turkey, and the company „Sama Inşaat“ from Bursa was chosen as the contractor.

A portion of the stone fragments was found after the end of the aggression on the banks of the Drina River, while the material necessary for its authentic reconstruction is being extracted from quarries near Miljevina and Slatina, at the same locations where stone was quarried in 1549.

The actual value of the project will be known upon completion of all works, but the amount is estimated between five and six million BAM. The deadline for completion of works is one and a half to two years, and the opening of the mosque is scheduled for May 2016.