Status of monument -> National monument
Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 6 to 9 September 2011 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The architectural ensemble of the Zagrad Mosque with harem in Velika Kladuša is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the mosque and mosque harem with nišan tombstones.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as part of cadastral plot no. 3153 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 1388 and 1389, Land Register entry no. 310 (old survey), title deed no. 1067/01, cadastral municipality Velika Kladuša, Municipality Velika Kladuša, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument on the site defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:
- all works are prohibited other than conservation-restoration works, routine maintenance works, works designed to ensure the sustainable use of the property, and works designed for the presentation of the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- works that could have the effect of altering the site are prohibited, as is the erection of temporary facilities or permanent structures not designed solely for the protection and presentation of the National Monument;
- during restoration, conservation and presentation works on the property, its original appearance shall be preserved, using original or similar materials, and original methods of treating and incorporating the materials;
- the harem of the mosque shall be landscaped.
The reconstruction of existing buildings on the adjoining plots (c.p. nos. 3151 and 3152) bordering the protected site is permitted subject to retaining their existing footprint and height. Infills of residential properties may be permitted with no more than two storeys (G + 1) and a maximum height of approx. 6.50 m to the roof cornice.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.
V
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation thereof.
VI
The Government of the Federation, the federal ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.kons.gov.ba)
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, and Ljiljana Ševo.
No: 06.2-2.3-77/11-27
7 September 2011
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Ljiljana Ševo
E l u c i d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.
On 11 December 2006 the Bihać Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage submitted a petition to designate the Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pursuant to the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
Statement of Significance
The present-day mosque was built in 1879 to replace the mosque on the south side of the fort in Velika Kladuša. According to the tarih (chronogram) over the entrance doorway, the mosque was built in 1879 (1295 AH), using part of the building materials from the original mosque. It belongs to the type of small single-space mosques with a hipped roof and built-on minaret. A feature of the mosque is the mahfil (gallery) in the roof space. The harem alongside the mosque contains some 100 nišan tombstones of various ages; these are of the kind typical of the Bosnian Krajina (military frontier region), elaborately decorated, usually on all four sides. The most common motifs on the tombstones are sabre, knife, spear or lance, gun, star and crescent moon motifs, geometric ornaments, and cable twist along the edges. The usual motif on women’s tombstones is an interlace decoration.
II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE
In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:
- Documentation on the location and the current owner and user of the property (copy of cadastral plan and Land Register entry).
- Details of the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
- Details of statutory protection to date.
- Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.
- The owner’s opinion had not been received at the time this Decision was rendered).
Pursuant to Article V para. 2 of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 37 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, before rendering a final decision designating a property as a national monument, the Commission is required to provide the owner of the proposed monument, the person submitting the petition, the institutions responsible for heritage, professional and academic institutions, experts and scholars, as well as other interested parties, to express their views. Accordingly, the Commission sent a letter ref 06.1-35-236/06-2 of 8 February 2007 requesting documentation and views on the designation of Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša was sent to the Velika Kladuša authority responsible for urbanism and cadastral affairs, the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Velika Kladuša, the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, and the Bihać Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage, and the Bihać Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage.
In response, the Commission has received the following documentation:
- Letter ref. 05/2-30-sl/07 of 10 September 2007 from the Department of Proprietary Rights Cadastral and Geodetic Affairs of Velika Kladuša Municipality, enclosing the following documents for the Zagrad Mosque:
- Excerpt from list of title deeds no. 1067/01, no. 05/2-30 of 29 August 2007,
- Copy of cadastral plan nos. 34 and 35 of 30 August 2007,
- Land Register entry no. 310 of 4 September 2007.
- Letter ref. 07-40-4-473-1/07 of 12 February 2007 from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport stating that the Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša has not previously been under protection and that the Institute has no documentation for the property.
The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The Zagrad Mosque is in Velika Kladuša, in the quarter known as Zagrad at the foot of the Velika Kladuša Fort to the west, about 1 km from the town centre.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as part of cadastral plot no. 3153 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 1388 and 1389 (old survey), Land Register entry no. 310, title deed no. 1067/01, cadastral municipality Velika Kladuša, Municipality Velika Kladuša, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical background
There are references to Velika and Mala (Greater and Lesser) Kladuša, formerly known as Donja and Gornja (Lower and Upper) Kladuša as long ago as the 13th century. The earliest mention of the name Kladuša dates from 30 October 1280, as Cladosa. This was a time when the entire area belonged to the Babonjići, lords of Blagaj. However, in 1314 there was a division of ownership within this large family, in which Kladuša was allotted to Radoslav of Blagaj. Later the area belonged to the Frankopans of Slunj.
The development of the town in the Middle Ages was directly associated with the fair in Maljevac, later transferred to a site below the walled town of Kladuša. There is a curious folk tradition of the origin and names of nearby places in Velika Kladuša municipality, claiming that Kladuša was named after its first overlord, one Kladar. According to information in the historical records of the Archives of Croatia, the town was fortified in the 15th century as protection against the frequent Ottoman incursions into the area. The Velika Kladuša Fort stands on high ground over the right bank of the River Graborska. In 1633 the Ottomans took Kladuša, remaining there until the town fell to the Austro-Hungarians. The mediaeval fort was then surrounded by new, wider ramparts parallel to the old walls, giving the fort the appearance of a raised bastion. It was then that a wooden mosque was built as part of the new ramparts, opposite the old tower. Several written sources refer to the wooden mosque within the Kladuša Fort.
Once Pećigrad had fallen, followed by Podzvizd on 20 October 1878, Velika Kladuša was the last place in Bosnia to come under Austro-Hungarian rule. A large influx of people into Velika Kladuša followed, necessitating the construction of additional facilities – shops, artisans’ workshops, housing, and many religious buildings.
“Two of Velika Kladuša’s most striking buildings were erected during Austro-Hungarian rule, both of them places of worship. First to be built was the Central Mosque, which was opened on 27 September 1901. The consecration of the Orthodox Church, also accompanied by great celebrations, took place in 1913.”(1)
The present-day mosque was built in 1879 to replace the mosque on the south side of the fort in Velika Kladuša(2). According to the tarih (chronogram) over the entrance doorway, the mosque was built in 1879 (1295 AH), using part of the building materials from the original mosque.
Prayers were performed in the Zagrad Mosque until 2007, when a new mosque was built in the quarter; as a result, the Zagrad Mosque is now used only occasionally.
2. Description of the property
The mosque belongs to the type of mosque with a hipped roof and built-on wooden minaret on the south-west side. It is rectangular in plan, measuring approx. 10.10 x 6.80 m. the sofas were originally open under a separate pent roof resting on six wooden posts, four of which were on the front or north-west side of the building. The posts were linked by arches closed at the top by wooden boards, and a wooden railing ran around the base. The sofas were raised above ground level by about 75 cm, with four steps in the centre leading up to them.
The mosque had the appearance of a single-storey building. The structural walls were built of solid materials (brick?) with a thickness of 60 cm. The roof frame is wooden, with a hipped roof clad with modern tiles.
The mosque had an entrance area of approx. 1.15 x 5.6 m and a prayer hall of approx. 5.6 x 7.1 m. The entrance area houses a single-flight wooden staircase leading to the mahfil. The wooden door between the entrance and the prayer hall measures approx. 100 x 175 cm. The ceiling in the entrance area is approx. 3.00 m high, while in the prayer hall it is 3.65 m high. The prayer hall contains a simple mihrab with wooden partitions of recent make to the sides. These are about 1.0 m wide and are decorated with glass insets. The mimber by the south-west mosque wall is older; it is approx. 285 cm in length.
The mahfil, which is at a height of 3.00 m, occupies almost half the prayer hall, and fitted into the roof space, allowing for greater headroom. The mahfil rests only on the exterior walls, with no posts within the building to take any of the load. It also extends above the entrance area, giving it a total depth of 4.7 m. The tribune for the muezzin is midway along the front of the mahfil.
The minaret is octagonal in plan. The plinth consists of cut stone blocks, and the upper part of wood, faced with galvanized iron. The minaret has an open šerefe (balcony), and a polygonal roof surmounted by an alem (finial) with three orbs. The roof and šerefe of the minaret are both clad with sheet copper. The lower part of the minaret measures approx 1.5 x 1.25 m, and the height to the alem is approx. 13.55 m.
The south-west, south-east and north-east walls each have two old-style windows side by side. The window openings are rectangular and measure approx. 50 x 145 cm.
The north-west façade wall has two windows measuring approx. 75 x 135 cm symmetrically placed on either side of the portal.
The door is a modern double-valved wooden door of approx. 130 x 175 cm. The windows and portals on the north-west façade have simple frames worked in plaster and terminating in a pointed arch.
Harem (burial ground) of the mosque in Zagrad
The old nišan tombstones are to the south-west, south-east and north-east of the mosque, with tombstones of more recent date among them.
The burial ground around the mosque, which is divided into two by the road, contains about 100 nišan tombstones of various ages. The harem is partly surrounded by a fence/wall [unclear which – trans.] which is in poor condition.
The old nišan tombstones in the burial ground are typical of the Bosnian Krajina (the old military frontier region). The men’s tombstones are elaborately decorated, usually on all four sides. The most common motifs on the tombstones are sabre, knife, spear or lance, gun, star and crescent moon motifs, geometric ornaments, and cable twist along the edges. The usual motif on women’s tombstones, which are rectangular with a flat top, is an interlace decoration in relief on the back of the tombstone.
1. Man’s nišan with turban, of simple workmanship, rectangular in section at 19x17 cm with a height of 124 cm, with an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم محتاج الي رحمة الله محمد بن مصطفي ده ليك 1338
The late Muhammad, son of Mustafa Delić, may God Almighty have mercy upon him. 1338 (1919/20)
2. Damaged nišan measuring 21x21x110 cm with partly legible epitaph.
مغفور محمد بن علي دليك فقرا لله ..... فاتحة 1310
The late Muhammed, son of Alija Delić, God’s humble ..... Fatiha 1310 (1892/93)
3 and 4. Two men’s nišans, identical in appearance and dimensions, 18x15x115 cm with barely legible epitaphs; all that can be made out is that these were two men named Omer who died in the same year, 1335 (1916/17).
5. Large man’s nišan with turban, measuring 32x33x250 cm, elaborately decorated with gun, six-pointed star, crescent moon and cable twist motifs, the latter surrounding the epitaph, which is in Arabic
المرحوم المحتاج الي رحمة الله تعالي مصطفي ابن حوسو شوويك سنة 1347
The late Mustafa, son of Huso Šuvić, may God Almighty have mercy upon him. Year 1347 (1928/29).
6. Man’s nišan with turban measuring 32x33 cm in section and 180 cm in height, with a carved sword and epitaph in Arabic.
مرحوم مغفور محتاج الي رحمة الله تعالي محمد بك ابن درويش عن بهك تاريخ .. يوم شهر شوال 1268
The late Muhammed-bey, son of Derviš of Bihać, may God Almighty have mercy upon him. Date of death.... day of the month of Shawwal 1258 (July/August 1852).
7. Man’s nišan with turban measuring 22x19 in section and 130 cm in height, with carved symbols of a sabre, spear and gun and an epitaph that has been weathered away almost completely.
8. Man’s nišan measuring 26x23x100 cm with an epitaph in Roman script: Gračanin Ibro 1868 – 1936.
9. Man’s nišan with turban measuring 20x28x130 cm, without epitaph.
10. Man’s nišan with turban measuring 26x25x70 cm, decorated with a crescent moon, geometric ornaments and cable twist, and with an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم المحالج الي وحمة الله تعالي حره م ابن ابرو غراجانين سنة 1347
The late Hurem, son of Ibro Gračanin, may God Almighty have mercy upon him. Year 1347 (1928/29).
11. Man’s nišan with turban, measuring 19,5x19x165 cm with an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم المغفور احمد ابن عمر سنة 1342
The late Ahmed, son of Omer. Year 1342 (1923/24).
12. Man’s nišan with turban, measuring 21x20x215 cm, with a rectangular niche containing an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم المغفور المحتاج الي رحمة الله سليمان ابن ابرو 1295
The late Sulejman, son of Ibro, may God have mercy upon him. 1295 (1878/79)
13. Man’s nišan with turban, measuring 18x17x136 cm, with an unusually high mudževez (the peaked top of the turban) and an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم المحتاج الي رحمت الله صاحب مرحمت مويو ابن صوليو 1310
The late Mujo, son of Suljo, may God have mercy upon him and rest his soul. 1310 (1892/93)
14. Man’s nišan with turban, measuring 21x21x165 cm with an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم سليمان ابن عبد المؤمن مرزلاق 1356
The late Sulejman, son of Abdulmumin Mržljak. 1356 (1937/38)
15. Man’s nišan with turban, measuring 24x22x185 cm with an epitaph in Arabic.
المرحوم المحتاج الي رحمت الله تعالي احمد ابن مويو مرزلاق 1356
The late Ahmed, son of Mujo Mržljak, may God have mercy upon him. 1356 (1937/38)
16. Woman’s nišan with interlace, measuring 21x11x115 cm and partly legible epitaph in Arabic.
.... مدفونه فاته بنت صالقو مرزلاق 1342
......interred Fata, daughter of Salko Mržljak. 1342 (1923/24)
Two old nišan tombstones
A few hundred metres east of the mosque is a small burial ground belonging to the Zagrad congregation, located on a hillock and containing two of the oldest nišan tombstones in this region.
One of them is a man’s nišan with turban, of simple workmanship, measuring 24x22x200 cm. The carved epitaph in Arabic reads:
المرحوم المغفور المحتاج الي رحمت الله صاحب و ملك علي بن علي علاغيك 1030
The late owner [of this grave] Alija, son of Alija Alagić, may God have mercy upon him.1030 (1620/21)
The other is a woman’s nišan measuring 24x14x145 cm, rectangular in shape with interlace and an epitaph in Arabic. Though the epitaph does not say so, this tombstone probably marks the grave of Alija’s wife.
المرحومت المغفور المحتاج الي رحمت الله كوله بنت ابرو حزايانيك 1036
The late Đula, daughter of Ibro Hazajanić (?), may God have mercy upon her. 1036 (1626/27)
Tradition has it that these two nišan tombstones were moved from the burial ground by the old mosque in the Velika Kladuša fort. It seems likely that copies of the original tombstones from the fort were made, since it is hard to believe that these are the originals, given their age, the presence of epitaphs, the grammatical errors on the woman’s tombstone and the surnames ending in “ić.”
3. Legal status to date
The spatial plan for Velika Kladuša, 1986-2005, the Town Plan for the town of Velika Kladuša, and other planning documents dating from 1960, list the Zagrad Mosque as part of the cultural heritage of the town and municipality of Velika Kladuša, with a view to preserving its authenticity.
The Commission received a letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport stating that the mosque in Zagrad was not a protected monument.
4. Research and conservation-restoration works
There are no details of any investigative, conservation or restoration works carried out on the Zagrad Mosque.
The imam of the Zagrad Mosque provided information to the effect that repairs to the roof were carried out in 2009, when part of the roof timbers and cladding were replaced and entirely new tiles were laid. New guttering and downpipes were installed, and a new wooden entrance door was fitted.
5. Current condition of the property
Since 2007, when a new mosque was built in the quarter, the Zagrad Mosque is in use only occasionally. It is in poor condition as a result of lack of maintenance. The façade is in particularly poor condition, with the rendering cracked and fallen away in places. The wooden windows are rotten and the glass is missing.
The burial ground was in use until 2007, with new graves dug between the old nišan tombstones.
6. Specific risks
Lack of maintenance.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
D. Clarity
D. iv. Evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner
E. Symbolic value
E.ii. religious value
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people
F. Townscape/landscape value
F.ii. meaning in the townscape
G. Authenticity
G.i. form and design
G.ii. material and content
G.iii. use and function
G.iv. traditions and techniques
G.v. location and setting
G.vi. spirit and feeling
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Copy of cadastral plan, scale 1:2500, plan nos 34 and 35, c.p. no. 3153, c.m. Velika Kladuša, Municipality Velika Kladuša, Una Sana Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued by the Department of Proprietary Rights and Cadastral-Geodetic Affairs, Section for Cadaster and Geodetic Affairs, Municipality Velika Kladuša, Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Velika Kladuša, on 28 September,
- Land Register entry no. 1104 (for c.p. 1636, c.m. Velika Kladuša), Land Registers have been destroyed, issued by the Municipal Court in Velika Kladuša on 30 August 2007,
- Photodocumentation
- Photographs of the Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša taken in October 2009 by Commission staff members Alisa Marjanović, architect and Nermina Katkić, architect,
- Photographs and description of the nišan tombstones in the harem taken in October 2009 by Hazim Numanagić, orientalist and freelance associate of the Commission,
- Technical documentation:
- Technical drawings of the Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša produced by architects from the Bihać Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage, consisting of the following blueprints: ground floor plan, mahfil plan, layout of roof timbers, longitudinal section, four elevations – all to scale 1:50,
- Excerpt from the Spatial Plan for Velika Kladuša Municipality, 1986-2005.
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the Zagrad Mosque in Velika Kladuša as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:
1904. Dr. Truhelka, Ćiro. Naši gradovi, Opis najljepših sredovječnih gradova Bosne i Hercegovine uz 96 slika (Our towns and forts: description of the finest mediaeval forts of Bosnia and Herzegovina with 96 illustrations), Sarajevo, 1904.
1943. Lopašić, Radoslav. Bihać i Bihaćka krajina (Bihać and the Bihać frontier region), (2nd ed.). Zagreb: 1943.
1952. Kreševljaković, Hamdija. “Prilozi historiji bosanskih gradova pod turskom upravom” (Contributions to the history of Bosnia’s towns and forts under Turkish rule), Prilozi za orijentalnu filologiju i istoriju jugoslovenskih naroda pod turskom vladavinom (Contributions to oriental philology and the history of the Yugoslav peoples under Turkish rule) II. Sarajevo: Oriental Institute in Sarajevo, 1952.
1953. Kreševljaković, Hamdija. “Stari bosanski gradovi” (Old Bosnian towns), Naše starine I. Sarajevo: 1953.
1970. Hilić, Hasan ef. Džamije u Velikoj Kladuši (Mosques in Velika Kladuša). Velika Kladuša: 1970
1986. Banja Luka Town Planning Authority, Spatial plan for Velika Kladuša Municipality 1986-2005. Ljubljana: Institute for Geodesy and Photogrammetry, 1986
1998. Mujezinović, Mehmed. Islamska epigrafika Bosne i Hercegovine (Islamic epigraphics of BiH). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1998
1999. Bećirbegović, Madžida. Džamije sa drvenom munarom u Bosni i Hercegovini (Mosques with wooden minarets in BiH). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1999
(1) Ravlić, Aleksandar, monograph, Velika Kladuša kroz stoljeća, 176.
(2) Hilić, Hasan ef., Džamije u Velikoj Kladuši, 1970
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