MOSQUE VISIT AND ARAB HOME

                        A Most Interesting Visit

My one and only visit to a mosque took place in Bosnia, and it was most interesting. The 1557 mosque had been repaired after much war damage and reopened in 2004. Now a national monument, the mosque is used only one day a week, but is open to tourists every day. Water damage ruined most of the 8000 carpets the mosque owned.  Before entering, we were told, “It is Muslim tradition that  if one becomes wealthy that he give back to the community. One way to do that was to build a mosque. At one time Mostar had 36 Mosques. One enters a Mosque with the right foot.”

             The floor was covered with carpets of various sizes and designs and it was explained that Muslims are buried within 24 hours. Caskets are not locked because in the old days when it was sometimes difficult to determine that someone was really dead, it was felt that if one woke up he could open the unlocked coffin. One is buried with the right hand pointing to Mecca.  Women do not attend funerals. There are two theories, one is that women cry too much, and the other is that women are associated with life and it is not desirable to mix life with death. After a funeral it is tradition for the family to donate a carpet to the mosque.

            Women and children remain one meter behind the man in the mosque. It has to do with praying and women wearing shirts. Obituary notices are posted on a bulletin board. Since burials take place in 24 hours, a notice in the paper would be too late.

            Mosques often  have a library and cemetery. There are no icons or pictures on the walls of a mosque. Muslims wash their hands five times a day—to wash away their sins and to go to Allah clean. They can pray on the previous wash IF one has not used swear words, slept, gone to the bathroom, looked at women or played. Pointing out the saying above the mosque door our guide said, “Each letter in the saying over the door has a numerical value, ie A=1 Z=26. Translation to numerical value tells the date of the mosque. Sayings can vary.”  

            She continued, “Arabic is the official language of Islam. Friday is a holy day and on that day services are done in the mother tongue of the location. Numbers are very important in Islam. A rosary has 33 beads because Mary is mentioned in the Koran 33 times. Saying the rosary three times accounts for the 99 names for Allah. (kind, forgiving, loving etc.)” Green is the color of Islam and is never used as a major color in a carpet; it is used only for accent. The traditional color is red.

            In the courtyard of a 1635 home of a well-to-do-family our guide explained, “If a man comes to visit he would announce his arrival from here. If his business involved the man of the house it would be discussed here also, because a woman uncovers in the home. Although these houses might be fairly close together, there is privacy behind these high walls.”

             The fountain in the courtyard was filled with four pots, representing the four seasons. There are also three globes around the fountain representing life, death and Mecca. Circles of pebbles in five sections represent the number of times a Muslim prays. In the courtyard we all removed our shoes. Prayer takes place on the floor and shoes are always left at the door to avoid tracking dirt into the house and onto the carpet-covered floors.

            Sleeping is done downstairs, but upstairs the main room is for conversation. The chests around the room were hope chests of the girls in the family. The more ornate the chest, the wealthier the family. A small room off this main room is for the baby. Mom stays with the baby for 40 days, as she is considered to be vulnerable during that time. Food is brought to her and her husband does not visit.

            A smaller bright room in the back of the house I compared to a sunroom. It is the room where women retreat to visit. Benches flanked two sides of the room. With everyone sitting at the same level no one is more important than another. Turkish coffee would be served here. Our guide told us, “Turkish coffee is served strong and very hot. If one is served cold coffee the message is you are not welcome here. However, the woman does not get up and leave. She simply never returns. No one but the hostess and the woman  involved is aware and face has been saved without any harsh words. Likewise when the intended groom’s mother visits, if the bride’s mother does not approve of the match, the guest will be served her second cup of coffee cold. This equals this marriage is not going to happen! And that is better than saying ‘I don’t like your son, your son is ugly or has pimples or whatever.’”

            That is pretty gracious! 

            Our guide showed us some clothes worn by the older generation. The women’s pants were huge but when worn looked like a skirt. However, when bending down to pray the elastic at the ankles kept the body covered. In ceremonial dress a married woman removes the tassel on her red fez hat. A single gal leaves the tassel.

            Other cultures are interesting and it is fun to learn about them. This was a fascinating and interesting visit.