Sahat kula

The Sarajevo Clock Tower, located near the Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque, is one of the largest clock towers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built in the 17th century and underwent reconstruction after a fire in 1697, caused by the attack of Eugene of Savoy. The tower was restored again in 1762.

 

After the Austro-Hungarian occupation, the upper part of the tower was added, and the clock was brought by two Sarajevo merchants from London in 1874. The old Turkish clock that was previously on the tower had deteriorated and was taken to the Vratnik Mosque in Vratnik.

 

The clock on the tower is a Gillett & Johnston timepiece, made in London in 1873.

 

The builder of the tower was Gazi Husrev-bey, one of the greatest benefactors (vakifs) in the history of Bosnia during the Ottoman era. The first written record of the tower dates back to the 17th century. The tower has 76 wooden steps arranged in a square formation, which the muvekit (the timekeeper) climbs weekly to adjust the time. The clock needs to be adjusted because it displays time according to the Turkish lunar calendar. It is believed to be the only clock in Europe that shows time based on the lunar calendar. The clock strikes midnight precisely at the moment of sunset in Sarajevo. In the courtyard of the Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque, there used to be a muvekithana (timekeeping room) where the exact prayer times were determined based on precise measurements and a water vessel.

 

In 1967, the clock was repaired, and the clock hands and numerals on all four dials were gilded. During the holy month of Ramadan, the clock strikes 24 times, marking the time for iftar (the evening meal to break the fast). After the first strike, candles are lit in the Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque, and then a traditional cannon is fired from the White Bastion, symbolizing the end of the fast.

 

In 2006, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared the Sarajevo Clock Tower a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.