Altun-Alem Mosque, Novi Pazar

Illustration

© H Assaf

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Altun-Alem mosque is located in the Prvomajska Street in Novi Pazar.
Altun-Alem means "with a golden stone". It is one of the most beautiful buildings of its kind in Serbia and it was built in the first half of the 16th century by the architect called Abdul Gant.

Inside the walled complex where a mosque is placed, there is a school (mektep) and niche with carved inscriptions. The mosque is a single-spaced, domed building and it has a covered portico.
The main parts of the mosque were built of crushed stone alternating with rows of brick, while the arches and domes were made of thin brick.
The interior of the mosque is decorated with beautifully made mihrab (central niche) and a wooden mahvil (gallery), placed along the entire length of the northwest wall.

For Altun-Alem mosque, there is a legend which tells of three pasha’s daughters who were very rich and beautiful. Altuna, Hadžira and Halima were their names. Because of their beauty, prestige and wealth, no one dared to propose to them. They were, as people used to say, made for Istanbul. So time passed, and they remained unmarried. Before their death, the three of them agreed to give away their wealth. Altuna used her share to build a mosque and hence the name Altun-Alem mosque. Hadžira gave her land for the town cemetery, so it is now called Hadžet. The youngest sister Halima used her share to build the town's fountain and the fountain is called Halimača till this day.