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Pecs, Hungary: the
historic crossroads between Ottoman and Christian empires
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
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this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
The small town of Pecs (pronounced
"Pesh") in Hungary towards the border of Bosnia
was the frontier capital of the Ottoman Empire in occupied
Europe, a staging ground for continued assaults against the
remainder of unconquered Hungary and Austria. In a romantic
sense, it is a historic crossroads between East and West.
Here, the Ottomans built mosques and Islamic schools (madrasas),
leaving an enduring legacy of Islamic architecture from the
period of Ottoman occupation. The modern town, as extolled
on official city pamphlets, adopts the moniker "the borderless
city," describing it as an auspicious crossroads of religions
and cultures.
Following the routing of
the Muslim Turks from all of Hungary by the Habsburgs in the
17th century, the mosques were converted into churches, the
Turkish population was expelled, and Catholicism and Hungarian
culture were re-established as the dominant religions. Today,
two mosques remain standing. They are the sole evident visual
legacy of Turkish architecture. One is incredibly delapidated
and close to collapse, and has been converted into a museum.
The museum has been adorned with decorative Qur'ans, minbars
(prayer steps for the imam), and the mihrab (the direction
of Makkah). The original exterior survives, as do calligraphic
verses from the Qur'an written on the wall extolling the unity
of God and the prophethood of Muhammad (la illaha illa
Allah, Muhammadan rasullallah). The other mosque of the
city, the Ghazi (holy warrior) Kasim Mosque, remains in stupendous
condition, and was converted into a church when it was wrested
from the Turks. The mosques are referred to by Hungarians
as "jami," after the Turkish word for mosque, "cami."
Atop the crescent on the dome of the mosque is a Christian
cross, a symbolic attempt to express the triumph of Christendom
over Islam in the same way that the Turks affixed four minarets
to the sides of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople to commemorate
the victory of Islam. The interior includes resplendent murals
of the life and trials of Jesus and the early saints that
stand alongside Arabic calligraphy and ayah (verses) from
the Qur'an. The Poles, Hungarians, and Germans (Austrians)
all take credit for "saving Europe" from the Ottomans.
The statue of Istvan Szechenyi, the
infamous Hungarian statesman who rallied the Hungarians against
the German Habsburgs for greater rights in the empire (Click
to enlarge)
The Ghazi (holy warrior) Kasim mosque of Pecs. Notice the
cross adorned atop the Islamic crescent. (Click to
enlarge)
An original mural on the rear wall of the mosque/church that
was spared when the Christians expelled the Muslim occupants.
It reads, "la illah ha illa Allah, Muhammadan rasullallah"
(there is only one God, Muhammad is his Prophet) (Click
to enlarge)
The church fascinatingly retains an overall Islamic architectural
structure but a distinctly Hungarian design in its artwork
and imagery (Click to enlarge)
The ablution (wudhu) fountain with the Islamic creed rests
below the image of the crucified Christ, a symbolic attempt
at expressing the victory of Christendom over the Muslims.
(Click to enlarge)
Most of the ceiling was produced by the Hungarians over a
previously Muslim design (Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
Murals depicting the life of Jesus and early saints can
be seen adorning the expanded church adjacent to the mosque
(Click to enlarge)
The Jakovali Hassan Mosque of the early 16th century, shortly
presaging the fall of the Muslim armies here. It is a museum,
and in terrible condition. (Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
The candles in the corner are used here for the mihrab, indicating
the direction of Makkah (Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
-personal photos, observations,
and interviews
-official city pamphlets from Pecs, Hungary
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