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With a community of about 10,000 Turks living in Shumen, there are some interesting remnants of Bulgaria’s long Ottoman past.
Tombul Mosque
West of the Shumen city center is the Tombul Mosque (Tombul Camii). Officially the Şerif Halil Pasha Mosque (Şerif Halil Paşa Camii), it’s the largest functioning mosque in Bulgaria and one of the largest in the Balkans. The word “tombul” means “fat” and comes from the wide shape of its dome. It has a minaret that’s 40 meters high.
The mosque was built between 1740 and 1744 by Şerif Halil Pasha, who was born in nearby Madara. It was undergoing a much-needed restoration during my visit. I was able to pop inside for a few minutes to see the elegant decorations. Admission is 4лв (as of February 2024) and it’s open daily from 9am to 6pm.
The courtyard was home to a madrasa (religious school) with 12 rooms. In one of the rooms, there were some women knitting and men making handmade crafts. There’s a beautiful ablutions fountain (şadırvan) in the center.
I had a nice chat in Turkish with the caretaker of the mosque and then headed out to explore more of the area.
Bezesten
Across the street from the mosque is the bezesten, or Ottoman market hall.
Avsharyan House
I explored the neighborhood a little more and found the Avsharyan House, built by an Armenian family in the mid 18th century. It’s located near Sveti Asvizazin Armenian Church, which was built in 1843 by Armenian refugees.
