Sarajevo Clock Tower
Clock tower in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The Sarajevo Clock Tower (Bosnian: Sarajevska sahat-kula) is a clock tower in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located beside Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and is the tallest of the 21 clock towers erected throughout the country, reaching a height of 30 meters. The tower was declared a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2006.
| Sarajevo Clock Tower | |
|---|---|
| Native name Sarajevska sahat-kula (Bosnian) | |
Sarajevo Clock Tower above roofs of surrounding buildings | |
 Interactive map of Sarajevo Clock Tower | |
| Type | Clock tower |
| Location | Baščaršija |
| Coordinates | 43°51′33″N 18°25′43″E |
| Height | 30 m |
| Founded | early 17th century |
| Founder | Gazi Husrev Bey |
| Original use | public |
| Restored |
|
| Architectural styles | Ottoman, vernacular |
| Governing body | Gazi Husrev Bey Foundation |
| Owner | Gazi Husrev Bey Foundation |
| Official name | Sarajevo Clock Tower |
| Type | historic urban site |
| Criteria | II. Value A, B, C iii.iv., D ii.iv., E i.ii.iii.iv.v., F i.ii.iii., G i.ii.iii.iv.v.vi.vii, H i.ii., I i.ii.iii. |
| Designated | 21 January 2003 (?th session) |
| Part of | Baščaršija |
| Reference no. | 780 |
| Decision no. | 01-278/02 |
| Operator | Gazi Husrev Bey Foundation |
The clock shows lunar time, in which the hands indicate 12 o'clock at the moment of sunset, the time of the Muslim Maghrib prayer.[1] A caretaker, called the muvakkit ("timekeeper"), sets the clock's time manually once a week.[2][3]
History
The Sarajevo Clock Tower was constructed by Gazi Husrev-beg, a governor of the area during the Ottoman period.[4] The earliest known documented mention of the tower dates to the 17th century in a work by Evliya Çelebi. It was rebuilt twice, once after fire damage when the city was attacked by Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1697, and again in 1762.[5]
In 1874, the clock was replaced by a mechanism made by Gillett & Bland of London. The previous Turkish mechanism was moved to a mosque in the neighbourhood of Vratnik.[citation needed]
In 1967, the clock was repaired, and the hands and numbers on all four clock faces were gilt.[citation needed]
In 2006, the clock tower was declared a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[6]
