Mosque of Atik Behram Bey

The oldest mosque in Tuzla, known as the Colourful Mosque

Built in the 16th century by Atik Behram Bey, this is the oldest mosque in Tuzla and one of the oldest in northeastern Bosnia. The building has been rebuilt and renovated several times over the centuries, but its essential Ottoman character survives. The stone minaret rises above the surrounding old town and remains one of the visual anchors of the historic centre.

The interior is the main reason to visit: the painted decorations that give the mosque its nickname cover the walls and ceiling in a dense pattern of flowers, vines, and geometric motifs. The colours are remarkably vivid for a centuries-old interior. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times; women should cover their hair at the entrance.

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A story
The mosque is popularly known as the Šarena džamija — the Colourful Mosque — because of the painted floral and geometric motifs decorating its interior walls. The paintings were added at various points over the centuries and represent a mixture of Ottoman, local Bosnian, and later Austro-Hungarian decorative influences, creating a layered interior unlike the plainer mosques built under stricter Ottoman aesthetic codes.