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Tombul Mosque

Coordinates: 43°16′10″N 26°54′36″E / 43.26944°N 26.91000°E / 43.26944; 26.91000
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Tombul Mosque
Томбул джамия
The mosque in 2015
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusMosque
StatusActive
Location
LocationShumen, Shumen Province
CountryBulgaria
Tombul Mosque is located in Bulgaria
Tombul Mosque
Location of the mosque in Bulgaria
Map
Interactive map of Tombul Mosque
Coordinates43°16′10″N 26°54′36″E / 43.26944°N 26.91000°E / 43.26944; 26.91000
Architecture
Style
FounderŞerif Halil Pasha
Completed1157 AH (1744/1745 CE)
Specifications
Dome5
Dome height (outer)25 m (82 ft)
Minaret1
Minaret height40 m (130 ft)
Site area1,730 m2 (18,600 sq ft)

The Tombul Mosque (also spelled as the Tumbul Mosque), officially the Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque (Bulgarian: Томбул джамия; Turkish: Tombul Camii), is a mosque located in Shumen, in the Shumen Province of Bulgaria. It is the largest mosque in Bulgaria and one of the largest in the Balkans.

With the complex of buildings around it, the mosque is the largest in the country in area and architectural significance and second only to the Balkan Peninsula after the Sultan Selim Mosque, located in the city of Edirne, Turkey. The Tombul Mosque was listed as a cultural monument of national importance in 1975.[1]

History

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Construction commenced in 1740 CE and was completed in 1157 AH (1744/1745 CE)[2] during the Ottoman era, the mosque was initially located in the town centre in north-eastern Bulgaria. As the town centre moved due the enlargement of the town, the mosque is now located in the south-west part of Shumen. The mosque's name comes from the shape of its dome.

The building of the mosque was financed by Şerif Halil Pasha[a] who was born in the village of Madara, 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of Shumen.

Architecture

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View from the sahn

The 1,730-square-metre (18,600 sq ft) mosque complex consists of a main edifice (a prayer hall), a sahn, and a twelve-room extension that was used as a boarding house of the madrasa. The mosque's architecture is influenced by the oriental architectural style "Tulip Period",[3] that originated in the early 18th century, which is characterized by the inclusion of elements of the French Baroque.[1]

The main edifice is in its fundamental part a square plan that is 15 by 15 metres (49 by 49 ft), then octagonal, passing to a circle in the middle part, and is topped by a spherical dome that is 25 metres (82 ft) high. The prayer hall is entered through an open vestibule with tall Moorish-style arcades. It is supported by four massive marble columns; and is illuminated by four belts of window openings, the upper three belts being stained glass. There are five domes in the vestibule. The layout of the exterior and interior has plastic and baroque details.[1]

Surveys in 2005 revealed original frescoes on the ceilings and walls, that were previously covered with paintings.[1] The interior has mural paintings of vegetable life and geometric figures and inscriptions of Arabic, phrases from the Qur'an. The sahn is known for the arches in front of the twelve rooms that surround it and the minaret is 40 metres (130 ft) high.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also known as Sheriff Khalil Pasha.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Tombul Mosque Sheriff Khalil Pasha". Heaven. Bulgaria: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Heaven BG Ltd. n.d. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  2. ^ Küçük, M. (2023). The Current Status of the Ottoman Period Architectural Monuments in Shumen, Bulgaria. pp. 145–147. Retrieved October 1, 2025 – via Cultural Inventory.
  3. ^ Kuban, Doğan (2010). Ottoman Architecture. Translated by Mill, Adair. Antique Collectors' Club. pp. 592–593. ISBN 9781851496044.
  4. ^ "Tombul Mosque". BgHotelite.com.
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Media related to Tombul Mosque at Wikimedia Commons

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