Dome and minaret
Balkan Ottoman simplicity.
Ванилица — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emir Mehović — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Emin Tarahija — CC0 · Ванилица — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ванилица — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Altun-Alem Mosque is a 16th-century Ottoman mosque in Novi Pazar, the Muslim-majority city of the Sandžak region in southwestern Serbia. Its name is usually translated as «Golden Gem». It is one of the city's oldest and finest Islamic monuments, standing near the fortress and the site of the old hammam. It was built in the first half of the 16th century by Muslihudin Abdul Gani, also known as Mujezin Hodža al-Medini. The exact year is unknown: a plaque at the mosque gives 1516 to 1528, and an endowment deed of 1550 lists the mosque, a school beside it, houses for the imam and a han among his foundations in the city. In the 17th century the traveller Evliya Çelebi described it as an old shrine, a sign of its early standing. It is a quiet building with a dome and a minaret, set in a small courtyard with an old graveyard, and shows the simplicity of Ottoman mosques in the Balkans. Around it spread the streets of the old town, with cafes, small shops and stalls selling local food. The mosque is open for prayers, so the best time for other visitors is between them. Remove your shoes, dress modestly, and women should cover their hair on entering. Avoid prayer times and Friday. Sopoćani Monastery is 12 km west in a straight line, so both fit into one day, a chance to see two sides of the region's history.
Balkan Ottoman simplicity.
With an old graveyard beside it.
Cafes and shops around the mosque.
Old town, Novi Pazar, southwestern Serbia
Muslihudin Abdul Gani, known as Mujezin Hodža al-Medini, in the first half of the 16th century.
Usually yes, between prayers, dressed modestly with shoes off. Ask whoever you find in the courtyard.