The museum of religions in Stara Zagora is a unique place for many reasons. First, the building of the old mosque, which today is visited museum is the only surviving building from the burning of the city during the Russian-Turkish War.
Even more interesting is the fact that inside the mosque are kept the foundations of a medieval Christian church from the 10th century and Thracian sanctuary from the Roman era, 2-3 century. The ruins were preserved from destruction in 1408 when the mosque was completed, although this contradicts the tenets of Islam.
The mosque in Stara Zagora is unique for its time because the huge dome is not built on columns, but only stays in place because of the walls of the building. It is the second largest mosque from this type in the world. The colourful murals in Baroque style cover the walls of the mosque and are s believed to date back to 1859-1860.
The entrance fee for the museum is 3 lev for adults /approximately 1,5 euro/, one lev /approximately 0,5 euro/ for students and 2 lev per person /approximately 1 euro/ for group visits. The opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00.
