Tatar mosque, Bohoniki, Poland

The second mosque located on the “Tatar Trail” of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, much younger than the mosque in Kruszyniany, built in 1873. The temple that was originally located in this place completely burned down. Rebuilt - it was devastated by the Germans, who used it as a field hospital during World War II. Over the years it was renovated many times.

The mosque is made of wood, a low square building, distinguished from the surrounding houses of Podlasie by a turret (minaret) with an onion-shaped dome and a crescent-shaped tip.

The interior of the mosque consists of 3 parts. First, we enter the vestibule, where we must take off our shoes. During prayer, women go to the female part, i.e. Babiniec, which is separated from the male part by a wooden wall with a gap. It is covered by a transparent fabric through which the ladies observe the service.

The most important place in the mosque is the mihrab, a small recess in the wall that always points in the direction of Mecca. Equally important is the minbar, i.e. the type of pulpit from which the imam delivers his teachings. The mosque’s floors are covered with soft carpets, the walls are decorated with colorful paintings, photos and muhirs, i.e. quotes from the Koran, the holy book of Muslims.

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