Ahmed Bey Mosque Exhibition Hall

Overview

Ahmed Bey Mosque, also known as Ingili, Ingiliz or the Christian Mosque, is a mosque in the town of Kyustendil. The mosque is located in the central part of the town, next to the Roman baths. The mosque is not functioning and is currently an exhibition hall of the museum in Kyustendil. It is an architectural monument of culture with a category of "national significance". Ahmed Bey Mosque was built in the middle of the 15th century. On the northeast wall are the dates 1575 and 1577, but they probably concern later reconstructions. According to legend, it was built on the foundations of the medieval Bulgarian church "Sveta Nedelya". Above the entrance of the mosque there is an inscription of 4 lines in Middle Turkish, which reads. In 1904 a strong earthquake cracked the minaret and it was finally removed by the city government. The mosque is an impressive building with a wide dome and marble pillars and supports. The entrance arcade, covered with three small domes, is preserved in its original form. The facades are varied with pointed arches - niches above the window openings. The mosque was built with stone blocks and bricks from earlier eras. It is distinguished by decorative brick decoration, typical for the medieval Bulgarian architecture - cornice "wolf's tooth", brick ornaments and others.