GAZI – HUSREV BEY’S BATH (HAMMAM) was built in the sixteenth century – golden century in development of Old Sarajevo, more precisely in 1555, as monumental building for this function with a part for women (ćifte hammam) and another part for men.

It is one of the most valuable under-cupola structures of classical Osmanli architecture style here. In the center of both men and women part, there were small fountains around which they could gather and talk, so that baths, besides their main function – bathing also had a function of gathering people.

It is known that the social role of baths originates from the Ancient Rome, while Arabs took and further develop the antique civilization achievements. It is known that in the biggest Roman baths were sofas where one could lay down and in order to fall asleep easier, the floor was covered with tiles with waves shown on them.

Gazi Husrev beys Hammam

It should be noted that only 45 meters far from the bath towards north, in Ćemerlina Street, there was one of the oldest mosques in Sarajevo – the Mosque Haseći Hatun or the Mosque behind the Bath (it is Gazi – Husrev Bey’s bath). There used to be a graveyard next to the mosque.

A transcript from a long gone tombstone said:

“Deceased and touched by God the benefactress Haseći Hava. Say a prayer (fatiha) for her soul. – The year 1436/37.

According to this 1436/37, the year of Haseći hatun Hava's death, the mosque she built, ranks amongst three mosques that existed in Sarajevo before Bosnia was finally occupied by Osmanli army in 1463.

They are: The Emperor's Mosque, Nesuh Bey's Mosque and Haseći Hava hanumma’s Mosque (which was renovated in the 16th century by Šahdidar, the wife of Gazi Husrev Bey, but she didnt change the name of the first benefactress Haseći Hava).

The allegation on the existence of these mosques stated by Dr.Ćiro Truhelka has a firm ground, it was also confirmed by the experts of the United Nations, because the Bogomils and Bosnian rulers did not forbid or persecute any religion, which included Islam and Moslems in this region.

This mosque and the attached graveyard were marked as cadastral settlement (mahala) No.XLIII, land registry certificate No.30 and cadastral lot No.26, total area of 640 square meters. The mosque was destroyed before the Second World War. In 1950, the graveyard was excavated and the prefabricated buildings of OZEBIH were built.

Before the aggression on BIH they were removed and the housing – business premises were built for the state officials. Thereby, this spiritual space was finally removed, without a possibility of reconstruction and connection to the Bosniac Institute, modern scientific, cultural and educational center of Bosniacs.