Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque
The Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque (, ) is a late 16th-century mosque in Pécs, southern Hungary. It was constructed when the region was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, around the same time as the main mosque of Pécs, the Mosque of Pasha Qasim (which has since been consecrated as a cathedral). It was named after the local government official who commissioned the mosque, Yakovalı Hasan Paşa (Hasan Paşa of Gjakova). It is thus one of the oldest mosques existing in Hungary today. The mosque is still active as a Muslim place of worship, and also houses  a small exhibition centre for Turkish handicraft and historical artifacts documenting Hungary's Ottoman past. History. The mosque was built some decades after the Ottoman conquest of central Hungary. Its architect and exact date of construction are unknown. It was in use for more than a century before being presumably abandoned from late 1686 when Pécs was captured by Austrian forces, after which it served as a hospital. Between 1702 and 1732, it was converted into a Catholic chapel by the Bishop Wilhelm Franz von Nesselrode. During this time, the minaret was turned into a bell tower, with the ruined  spire being replaced with a belfry. Its interior was decorated with Baroque carvings which were then in fashion. The mosque was first restored in the 1960s, when the minaret was repaired and the Baroque ornamentation removed to restore the mosque to its original condition. A second restoration was conducted in the 2000s, in time for Pécs's designation as the European Capital for Culture in 2010 (along with Istanbul and Essen). The mosque is open to the public on designated days except Mondays and Friday services from 2.30 to 3.30 pm. Architecture. Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque has a relatively simple  structure, with a square base surmounted by a typical Turkish dome and ogee windows. As with all mosques, it is orientated towards Mecca and thus has a northwest–southeast axis. The minaret is 22.5 m high. A flight of stairs leads to the top of the minaret, but due to stability concerns the entrance is sealed off to visitors. The balcony was once adorned with a stone railing. On religious holidays the minaret used to be lit up with oil lamps. There was once a foyer on the northwest side of the mosque, part of a larger complex which included  a tekke and madrassa. A statue of the Ottoman chronicler İbrahim Peçevi (Ibrahim of Pécs), by Turkish sculptor Metin Yurdanur, was unveiled before the mosque in 2016.