The Sinan-bey Boljanic mosque in Cajnice was solemnly opened on Friday after almost nine years of painstaking reconstruction. The ceremonial opening was performed by the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic accompanied by Bosnian and Turkish high state and religious officials.
In addition to numerous believers, the opening of the mosque was also attended by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Turkey, Yılmaz Tunç, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament Denis Zvizdic, Director of the Islamic Community's Vakuf Directorate Senaid Zajimovic, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Waqfs of the Republic of Turkey Hayrullah Çelebi.
Special thanks to friends from the Republic of Turkey, but also to the Vakuf Directorate of the BiH Islamic Community, who financed the reconstruction of the mosque, was sent by the president of the Cajnice Majlis, Anera Zagrljaca.
The Mayor of Cajnice municipality, Goran Karadzic, emphasized all the reasons why this mosque was important, stating the development of the city and religious tourism among the most important ones.
– It is no coincidence that everything is happening on this day, which is St. Peter's Day, a great Orthodox holiday, and here, 50 meters away, there are two wonderful gatherings and people are rejoicing because God made it so. I will tell you about a coincidence that happened on September 8, two years ago, when a minaret was placed on our mosque, and a cross was placed on top of a church as well. The same machine, the crane, did those activities in one hour, which says that God is directing us and that we cannot live without each other and we have to respect that. We must use our differences and not have them as a stumbling block, so let's all make a small contribution to building the future, and let's leave behind everything that is wrong, for the sake of our new generations, to never allow ugly things to happen to us,” said Karadzic.
Hayrullah Celebi, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Waqfs of the Republic of Turkey, pointed out that the Sinan Bey Mosque is not only a place of devotion but also an important part of cultural and historical heritage, noting that it has been a symbol of brotherhood, peace and tolerance in this area for centuries. He recalled that its reconstruction began with the protocol signed in 2015.
“By reviving this place of worship, which is our sanctuary, we strengthen our ties with the past and leave an important legacy to our future generations. In addition to many buildings that were burned or destroyed in 1992, this place of worship was destroyed to the extent that almost not a single stone remained. In the architectural sense, works on the reconstruction of the Sinan Bey mosque, which had one large and three small domes and a stone minaret about 37.50 meters high, began after the archaeological excavations. The new mosque was built on the remains of the foundations of the demolished mosque, the hand-drawn interior works revived the age-old spirit of the mosque and restored its original appearance,” said Celebi, promising that Turkey will continue to stand by the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This was confirmed by Turkey's Justice Minister Tunc, who emphasized that the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey have a common history and common cultural values.
“Our ancestors who came to these areas to establish justice actually strengthened and formed bridges of love. At the centre of this relationship is effort and respect between us. Today we are together side by side with you, today we are together to revive our common heritage,” Tunc said.
He recalled that over 600 mosques, more than 200 masjids, tekkes, turbets, madrasas, mektebas, and over 400 waqf works were destroyed in the aggression against BiH.
Sinan-Bey's mosque in Cajnice, which was mined and completely demolished in 1992 together with all the other buildings that made up the mosque's complex, was first built in 1570 on the initiative of Sinan-pasha Boljanic, the son-in-law of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed-pasha Sokolovic.
Due to its historical and artistic values, it was included in the World Heritage list as a first-category monument.
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