Banya Bashi Mosque

The Banya Bashi Mosque is Sofia's most prominent Ottoman monument and the only mosque in the Bulgarian capital still in active use. Built in 1566–67 during Ottoman rule, it is attributed to the school of imperial architect Mimar Sinan and ranks among the oldest surviving mosques in Europe. Its name derives from the Turkish for 'many baths': thermal springs still well up beneath and around the structure, a geological feature that has shaped the building's foundations for centuries. The compact brick building, topped by a single dome and a lone minaret, stands at the edge of the Serdica archaeological site in the city center. Friday prayers draw Sofia's Muslim community together, making it a genuinely active place of worship amid a predominantly Orthodox Christian city.