History of BulgariaHistory of Bulgaria
Cut-out detail; background removed. Upper part of the minaret: tower, pale balcony and pointed roof. The lower part extends beyond the frame.
Minaret top

Banya Bashi · Ottoman period

Warm water beside the mosque

Why is warm water beside the mosque?

9 scenes · 3 min · Sources · 12

StartListen

A mosque, old baths and nearby places of worship tell of different centuries in Sofia’s life.

The mosque with its dome, minaret and stone-and-brick walls, surrounded by modern streets.

Part 1 · Ottoman period

The tower and nearby prayer houses

The photograph shows Banya Bashi’s minaret. A minaret is a mosque’s tower. A mosque is a Muslim prayer house. Nearby are the synagogue, where Jewish people pray, and St Nedelya church. St Joseph Cathedral is nearby too. A cathedral is a bishop’s main church. A bishop leads churches in an area. St Nedelya is Orthodox; St Joseph is Catholic. These are two Christian communities. Streets separate the buildings. Warm mineral water is beside the former Central Baths.

Listen to scene · 1

Synthetic voice · 0:31
Sources · 6
  1. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Sofia Tourism Administration St Nedelya Church Visit Sofia
  4. Sofia Municipality Вода You Are Sofia municipal portal
  5. Sofia Municipality Cathedral of St Joseph · 2018
  6. Боряна Генчева Централната минерална баня има историческата основа за „воден“ център на София Портал на Столичната община; препечатка „Водата – отново в банята“ · 2021 · 51–53
The mosque with its dome, minaret and stone-and-brick walls, surrounded by modern streets.

Part 2 · Ottoman period

Stone, brick and a donor

In the sixteenth century, Sofia was a city in the Ottoman Empire. The donor Seyfullah provided money for the mosque. According to the Grand Mufti’s Office, a Muslim religious institution, the mosque was built around 1566–1567. In the photograph, find the dome, minaret and walls of stone and brick.

1 · Dome
The large rounded roof over the prayer hall. This photograph shows the building in 2013.
2 · Minaret
The slender tower beside the mosque. A pale balcony is visible in the photograph.
3 · Stone and brick
Rows of brick and pale stone in the mosque wall.

Listen to scene · 2

Synthetic voice · 0:21
Sources · 2
  1. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  2. Главно мюфтийство Бюлетин / Annual Report 2014 PDF · 2015 · 66–67
The archival photograph shows the mosque in the late nineteenth century, not the present Central Baths.
Archive

Part 3 · Ottoman period

Two kinds of bath

Warm water is useful for bathing, but old baths did not all work the same way. A hammam is a public bath using artificially heated water. A thermal bath uses water that arrives warm from underground. Ottoman Sofia had several thermal baths.

Listen to scene · 3

Synthetic voice · 0:16
Sources · 2
  1. Стефан Пейчев „Софийската баня“: османското хидротермално наследство като абстракция Семинар_BG · 2024
  2. Photographer: Unknown / Fotograf: okänd Banya Bashi Mosque and minaret, Sofia, Bulgaria.jpg Wikimedia Commons / Swedish National Heritage Board
Stitched panoramic photograph of the prayer hall, 2012. A dome, windows and a chandelier are visible.

Part 4 · Ottoman period

Who used the water

In yearbooks of the 1870s, the Ottoman administration describes Sofia baths for Muslim, Christian and Jewish residents. A yearbook collects information about a particular year. More than one community belongs in the story of this water. This does not mean that everyone bathed together. In our view, nearby places of worship do not prove people always lived in harmony.

Listen to scene · 4

Synthetic voice · 0:23
Sources · 3
  1. Стефан Пейчев „Софийската баня“: османското хидротермално наследство като абстракция Семинар_BG · 2024
  2. Катедрален храм Света Неделя История на храма Official cathedral website · 2015
  3. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website

Part 5 · Ottoman period

Task: two kinds of bath

What distinguishes a thermal bath from a hammam in this story?

  1. Its water arrives warm from underground.
  2. It must have a minaret.
  3. It is a Jewish place of prayer.
Why is that?

Thermal water comes naturally warm from underground. In the distinction used here, hammam water is artificially heated.

Correct · Its water arrives warm from underground.

  1. Стефан Пейчев „Софийската баня“: османското хидротермално наследство като абстракция Семинар_BG · 2024

Listen to scene · 5

Synthetic voice · 0:04
Sources · 1
  1. Стефан Пейчев „Софийската баня“: османското хидротермално наследство като абстракция Семинар_BG · 2024
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders12345
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 6 · Ottoman period

Three buildings, three years

The buildings are close on the map, but date from different times. The new St Nedelya church was consecrated in 1867. Consecration is the church ceremony when a new church opens. Further rebuilding followed, so its appearance today differs from that in the sixteenth century. The Jewish community collected donations for a new synagogue. It opened in 1909. The large Central Mineral Baths opened in 1913. This was a new public bath building, not the surviving Ottoman bathhouse.

Listen to scene · 6

Synthetic voice · 0:31
Sources · 3
  1. Катедрален храм Света Неделя История на храма Official cathedral website · 2015
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Regional History Museum Sofia History of the Municipal Central Mineral Baths Building

Part 7 · Ottoman period

Task: put the openings in order

Put these events in order, earliest first.

  1. St Nedelya consecrated
  2. Synagogue opens
  3. Large bath opens
Why is that?

The years establish the order: 1867, 1909, 1913. They refer to the specific buildings or openings named, not the arrival of the three faiths.

Correct order

  1. St Nedelya consecrated
  2. Synagogue opens
  3. Large bath opens
  1. Катедрален храм Света Неделя История на храма Official cathedral website · 2015
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Regional History Museum Sofia History of the Municipal Central Mineral Baths Building

Listen to scene · 7

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 3
  1. Катедрален храм Света Неделя История на храма Official cathedral website · 2015
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Regional History Museum Sofia History of the Municipal Central Mineral Baths Building
An entrance, a tall window and colourful tiles made from fired clay.

Part 8 · Ottoman period

The old bath entrance

Look at the entrance to the former Central Baths. On the facade, find the colourful tiles, made from fired clay. Inside the building, the permanent Sofia history museum exhibition opened in 2015. Mineral-water taps stand beside the former Central Baths.

1 · Bath entrance
The entrance to the Central Mineral Baths. The large bath opened in 1913.
2 · Ceramic decoration
Colourful decoration above the large arch. The museum credits Haralampi Tachev with decorative drawings for the facade.
3 · Tall window
A window above the entrance. This photograph dates to 2010, before the permanent museum exhibition opened here in 2015.

Listen to scene · 8

Synthetic voice · 0:17
Sources · 6
  1. Regional History Museum Sofia History of the Municipal Central Mineral Baths Building
  2. Sofia Tourism Administration Regional History Museum – Sofia Visit Sofia
  3. Sofia Municipality Вода You Are Sofia municipal portal
  4. Sofia Municipality Cathedral of St Joseph · 2018
  5. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  6. Боряна Генчева Централната минерална баня има историческата основа за „воден“ център на София Портал на Столичната община; препечатка „Водата – отново в банята“ · 2021 · 51–53

Part 9 · Ottoman period

Task: building and use

Match each building to its use today.

  1. Banya Bashi · Muslim prayer
  2. Sofia Synagogue · Jewish prayer
  3. Former Central Baths · Permanent Sofia history museum exhibition
Why is that?

The mosque and synagogue remain places of prayer. The former bath building houses the permanent history exhibition.

  1. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Sofia Tourism Administration Regional History Museum – Sofia Visit Sofia

Listen to scene · 9

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 3
  1. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  2. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  3. Sofia Tourism Administration Regional History Museum – Sofia Visit Sofia

A new find for your collection

The neighbouring buildings date from different times and serve different purposes.

Rose ValleyFrom rose blossom to oilSee how people lived and worked in another period.Boyana Church · BoyanaThe faces of BoyanaThe Gospels of Ivan Alexander · LondonThe tsar between the pages

People in this story

SeyfullahHaralampi TachevPetko MomchilovFriedrich GrünangerSaint JosephSaint KyriakeOttoman rule · Rulers

Sources

  1. Regional History Museum Sofia History of the Municipal Central Mineral Baths Building
  2. Sofia Municipality Cathedral of St Joseph · 2018
  3. Sofia Tourism Administration Banya Bashi Mosque Visit Sofia
  4. Главно мюфтийство Бюлетин / Annual Report 2014 PDF · 2015 · 66–67
  5. Sofia Tourism Administration Regional History Museum – Sofia Visit Sofia
  6. Катедрален храм Света Неделя История на храма Official cathedral website · 2015
  7. Sofia Tourism Administration St Nedelya Church Visit Sofia
  8. Стефан Пейчев „Софийската баня“: османското хидротермално наследство като абстракция Семинар_BG · 2024
  9. Photographer: Unknown / Fotograf: okänd Banya Bashi Mosque and minaret, Sofia, Bulgaria.jpg Wikimedia Commons / Swedish National Heritage Board
  10. Central Sofia Synagogue History Sofia Synagogue official website
  11. Sofia Municipality Вода You Are Sofia municipal portal
  12. Боряна Генчева Централната минерална баня има историческата основа за „воден“ център на София Портал на Столичната община; препечатка „Водата – отново в банята“ · 2021 · 51–53

Images

© Plamen Agov • studiolemontree.com · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Upper part of the minaret: tower, pale balcony and pointed roof. The lower part extends beyond the frame.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: © Plamen Agov • studiolemontree.com; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.

Pudelek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The mosque with its dome, minaret and stone-and-brick walls, surrounded by modern streets.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Pudelek (Marcin Szala); Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Processed image.

Archive

Unknown photographer · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons / Swedish National Heritage Board

The archival photograph shows the mosque in the late nineteenth century, not the present Central Baths.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Unknown photographer; Wikimedia Commons / Swedish National Heritage Board; CC0. Processed image. Archival photograph

Javier Sánchez Portero · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stitched panoramic photograph of the prayer hall, 2012. A dome, windows and a chandelier are visible.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Javier Sánchez Portero; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Processed image.

© Plamen Agov • studiolemontree.com · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

An entrance, a tall window and colourful tiles made from fired clay.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: © Plamen Agov • studiolemontree.com; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Processed image.

Geographic context, without historical borders

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso · Public domain · Natural Earth

Open source

Full attribution

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso