Arnaudija Mosque

One of the signatories of Ferhad Pasha’s endowment, the Minister of Finance of the Bosnian Pashalik – Defterdar Hasan Efendi, built a beautiful monumental domed mosque in 1595, known as Arnaudija or Defterdarija, located in Donji Šeher in Banja Luka, not far from the Ferhadija Mosque. Built in the classical Ottoman style, along with Ferhadija, it represented a primary part of the original urban center of the Old Town or Donji Šeher of Banja Luka.

The mosque was part of a larger complex that included a hammam, madrasa, and fountain, becoming one of the symbols of Islamic tradition and Ottoman heritage in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was constructed as the second endpoint of Banja Luka’s craftsman’s thoroughfare, with Ferhadija at the opposite end of the street...

One of the signatories of Ferhad Pasha’s endowment, the Minister of Finance of the Bosnian Pashalik – Defterdar Hasan Efendi, built a beautiful monumental domed mosque in 1595, known as Arnaudija or Defterdarija, located in Donji Šeher in Banja Luka, not far from the Ferhadija Mosque. Built in the classical Ottoman style, along with Ferhadija, it represented a primary part of the original urban center of the Old Town or Donji Šeher of Banja Luka.

The mosque was part of a larger complex that included a hammam, madrasa, and fountain, becoming one of the symbols of Islamic tradition and Ottoman heritage in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was constructed as the second endpoint of Banja Luka’s craftsman’s thoroughfare, with Ferhadija at the opposite end of the street.

Unfortunately, the Arnaudija Mosque was destroyed on May 7, 1993, during the war, along with many other religious structures in Banja Luka. It was finally restored and ceremonially reopened on May 7, 2024, on the anniversary of its destruction and the Day of Mosques.

Today, Arnaudija, along with Ferhadija, is one of the most important monuments of Ottoman architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina and plays a key role in promoting cultural tourism in Banja Luka.