Tombul Mosque
Encyclopedia
The Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque, , more commonly known as the Tombul (or Tumbul) Mosque, located in Shumen
, is the largest mosque in Bulgaria
and among the largest on the Balkans
. Built between 1740 and 1744, it was initially located in the northeastern Bulgarian (then Ottoman
) town's centre, but is now in Shumen's southwest parts as the town centre shifted. The mosque's name comes from the shape of its dome.
The mosque's complex consists of a main edifice (a prayer hall), a yard and a twelve-room extension (a boarding house
of the madrasa). The main edifice is in its fundamental part a square, then becomes an octagon passing to a circle in the middle part, and is topped by a spheric dome that is 25 m above ground. The interior has mural paintings of vegetable life and geometric figures and features a lot of inscriptions in Arabic
, phrases from the Qur'an
. The yard is known for the arches in front of the twelve rooms that surround it and the minaret
is 40 m high.
Shumen
Shumen is the tenth-largest city in Bulgaria and capital of Shumen Province. In the period 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after the name of the communist leader Vasil Kolarov...
, is the largest mosque in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and among the largest on the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Built between 1740 and 1744, it was initially located in the northeastern Bulgarian (then Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
) town's centre, but is now in Shumen's southwest parts as the town centre shifted. The mosque's name comes from the shape of its dome.
The mosque's complex consists of a main edifice (a prayer hall), a yard and a twelve-room extension (a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
of the madrasa). The main edifice is in its fundamental part a square, then becomes an octagon passing to a circle in the middle part, and is topped by a spheric dome that is 25 m above ground. The interior has mural paintings of vegetable life and geometric figures and features a lot of inscriptions in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, phrases from the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. The yard is known for the arches in front of the twelve rooms that surround it and the minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
is 40 m high.