Architects: ARHINGinženjering Montenegro

Photographs: Ilya Ivanov; Lejla Nurković

Authors: Rifat Alihodžić, Jasmina Salković, Elvira Muzurović, Branko Rabrenović

Lead architect: Rifat Alihodžić

In the settlement of Drač (Podgorica_Monteengro), not only when it comes to Stara varoš (old city of Podgorica), but also in Montenegrin cities more widely, there is a unique typology of residential buildings, the essence of which is represented by single-pitched roofs of houses that direct water towards the inner courtyard. There are two benefits of this solution. The first is that roofs built in this way protect the streets from large amounts of water during frequent and heavy rains. The water that flowed into the inner courtyards was used for hygiene purposes, which represents another useful moment.

In the process of thinking about the architectural composition of the mosque, these houses with single-pitched roofs, which strongly accentuate the space, could not be avoided as one of the important principles of the architectural composition. This is how the rule of the newcomer, a good neighbour who respects the established rules, was respected. Of course, the design language is modernized, but with a clear and recognizable reliance on the found features of the existing architecture.

The location of the mosque is at the intersection of four streets, in the centre of Drač, (Podgorica) which is logical for a religious building. Until 1956, a mosque from the time of the Ottoman Empire was located in this place. It was demolished in one ideological wave of confrontation between the communist government and religion. Some objects of other denominations in Podgorica and Montenegro also disappeared then. The systematic destruction of the buildings led to the excavation of even a large part of the foundations as well as the entire documentation, including photographs (only one that includes one facade has been preserved). In this way, the possibility of building a mosque according to the principle of reconstruction was excluded. The urban plan adopted at the beginning of the 21st century envisaged the construction of a new mosque building on the old location.

In the Islamic religion, there is no canonization of architectural forms and binding vocabulary. Nevertheless, there is still strong resistance to deviation from traditional matrices, which represented the biggest challenge in the process of accepting the modern design concept of the building by investors.

The combination of two connected volumes with a courtyard wall, the mosque owes to the traditional matrix of the found architecture. The same can be said for the application of a single-pitched roof and slope on the courtyard wall and minaret. All of this creates an interplay based on the principles of spontaneity, but with balancing of the moving masses, which significantly maintained the strong dynamic expression of the whole.      

The traditional building material in the settlement of Drač is stone, so the same is used here in a modern version. The fence and the minaret are covered with brushed stone with a distinct tactility, which contributes to the contrast of the white, smooth marble used to cover the main building.