Even though most of the Bulgarian architectural monuments dating back to the Ottoman Empire were looted and destroyed, some cities still boast ancient mosques with minarets.

The main Muslim shrine of Plovdiv is the Dzhumaya Mosque, located in the heart of the ancient city. It used to be called the Ulu Dzhumaya Mosque, and local believers call it the Main Friday Mosque. In the middle of the 14th century, this magnificent monument of Ottoman architecture replaced the ancient Cathedral Church of Sveta Petka Tarnovska (a famous Balkan hermitess who was canonized). Unfortunately, these ancient walls were ruthlessly destroyed during the reign of Sultan Murad II. The present-day building appeared in the second half of the 15th century.

The beautiful Dzhumaya Mosque is considered one of the oldest Ottoman religious buildings and one of the largest Muslim mosques in the Balkans. The huge solid structure is crowned by nine domes covered with lead plates, and inside, there is a hall with an area of almost 900 square meters. In its northeast corner, there is a narrow minaret, which is still used by the muezzin to call to prayer.

The mosque exterior shows visitors the powerful influence of the Byzantine style on local architecture, even in the construction of Muslim mosques. The combination of two brick rows with a row of hewn stone was used in all Byzantine temples. The mosque interior comprises wall paintings that depict plant compositions with flowers and medallions with quotations from the Holy Book of Islam, the Koran. The paintings date back to the 18th-19th centuries, but the names of the painters have never been established.

The Dzhumaya Mosque is still open and functioning. So there are certain rules for all visitors: all the travelers must wear modest long clothes and take off their shoes before entering, and women have to cover their heads.