Religious tourism · Six countries
Discover mosques, tekkes and Islamic heritage sites across the Balkans. Explore their architecture, local stories and places in the life of each destination.
Explore the sitesIslam in the Balkans
Islam arrived in the Balkans with the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries and quickly became part of the region’s everyday life, shaping its cities, crafts, music and hospitality.
Ottoman builders gave the region its old bazaars, covered markets, fountains, hammams and stone bridges, with the mosque at the heart of each neighbourhood. In Sarajevo, the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque (1531) still anchors Baščaršija, while Mostar’s Old Bridge and the Dervish tekke at the spring of the Buna in Blagaj show how faith, architecture and landscape were designed to belong together.
Today Islam is the faith of most Bosniaks and Albanians and of communities in Montenegro, Serbia’s Sandžak, Croatia and Slovenia. It is a tradition known for its openness: Sufi lodges, Bektashi centres in Albania and mosques standing a few steps from churches and synagogues tell a story of neighbours who have long shared the same streets.
Ottoman old towns, the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and the Old Bridge.
A 16th-century Dervish lodge beneath a cliff at the source of the Buna.
Albania’s historic mosques and the Et’hem Bey Mosque’s painted interior.
Places of faith. Stories of the region.
Make room for meaningful places
Combine sacred sites, city walks and cultural landmarks across the six countries. Tell us which traditions, places and stories you would like to explore.
Plan a Balkan journey46 published sites
Durres
The “Fatih” Mosque (also known as the Small Mosque or the Old Mosque) is one of the oldest monuments of Islamic worship in Albania and one of the main historical sites of the city of Durrës. It preserves great…
Foča
Aladža Mosque, also known as the Colorful Mosque or the Mosque of Hasan Nezir, is one of the most valuable monuments of Ottoman architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built in 1549 in Foča, on the banks of the…
Sarajevo
Ali-Pasha's Mosque is one of the most beautiful and most harmonious mosques in classical Ottoman style in Bosnia and Herzegovina, built in 1560 or 1561 as a waqf of Hadim Ali Pasha — a man born in Drozgometva on the…
Bijeljina
Atik Mosque, the oldest in Bijeljina, represents an indelible trace of history and a symbol of survival through the centuries. Built between 1520 and 1566 under the patronage of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, after…
Livno
Balaguša Mosque, also known as the Bali-aga Ljubunčić Mosque or the Bazaar Mosque, is located in the old center of Livno, in the area of Stara čaršija, after which it got its recognizable name. This mosque is among the…
Sarajevo
Baščaršijska Mosque, also known as the Havadže Durak Mosque, is one of Sarajevo's most beloved religious buildings, located in the heart of Baščaršija in the Stari Grad municipality. It was built as an endowment of…
Gjirokastra
The Bazaar Mosque in Gjirokastër is one of the city's most important monuments and a symbol of the Ottoman heritage in Albania. Built in the mid-18th century by Memi Bey, it was erected in the center of the old bazaar…
Mostar
The Blagaj Tekke is one of the most beautiful and spiritual places in Herzegovina, set beside the source of the Buna River, near Mostar. It was built around 1520 as a dervish lodge – a place of prayer and spiritual…
Fojnica
The Čaršija Mosque in Fojnica, also known as the Šaban Ahmed Efendi Mosque, is the heart of the town center and the most spacious place of worship in this area. Built in 1666 by the then qadi of Kreševo and Fojnica,…
Berat
The Hysen Pasha Mosque, also known as the Clock Mosque, is an important monument of Islamic heritage in Berat, built in 1670. It is notable for its elegant architecture, with a characteristic dome and artistic interior…
Stolac
Ćuprijska Mosque, also known as the Hadži-Alija Hadžisalihović Mosque, is one of the oldest mosques in Stolac. Located on the left bank of the Bregava River, not far from the famous Inat-ćuprija, it got its name from…
Delvina
The Delvina Mosque is located in the center of the city of Delvina and is one of the most important religious and historical monuments of the area. It dates back to the Ottoman period and was built in the…
