Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque
An Ottoman mosque on the riverbank, two minutes from Stari Most — and the one place in town you can climb above it.
At a glance
Location: left bank of the Neretva, off Kujundžiluk · about 2 minutes’ walk from Stari Most · allow 30–45 minutes · shoes off and shoulders covered.
Why people stop here
There are several mosques in the old town, but this is the one visitors actually go into, and for one reason above all: the minaret has an accessible balcony, and that balcony looks straight back at Stari Most. Everything else you can photograph the bridge from is at bridge level. This is the one viewpoint above it.
The mosque itself is small, quiet and still in use — a working place of worship rather than a museum, which is why the dress rules matter as much as the ticket does.
The building
It is a classical Ottoman single-space mosque: one square prayer hall under a single dome, with an open porch along the entrance front covered by three smaller domes, and the stone minaret rising against the right-hand exterior wall. It dates from the early 17th century — most accounts give 1617–1619, and the Bosnian heritage record gives the foundation year as 1027 AH, which lands in the same window. It takes its name from Koski Mehmed-pasha, a Mostar-born Ottoman official who endowed it; he died in 1611, before the mosque we see today was finished, and several accounts credit his brother Mahmud with completing it.
The prayer hall is close to a cube — roughly 12.6 by 12.6 metres on the ground, about the same again to the base of the roof — inside stone walls around 1.1 metres thick, with the dome rising to just over 15 metres above the floor. The minaret is the tall part: its stone shaft runs to just under 30 metres before the cap.
The mosque, its former madrasa, the shadervan (ablution fountain), the turbe and the courtyard are designated together as a national monument — the listing covers the whole complex rather than the mosque alone. The shadervan carries an inscription dating it to 1781, well after the mosque was built, and the madrasa is recorded as having closed in 1924.
The climb
You enter the minaret from the courtyard and go up inside the shaft on a narrow stone spiral. It meets people coming down, the light is limited, and it is not wheelchair or pushchair accessible. The reward is the balcony, which puts you above the rooftops with Stari Most, the bazaar lane below it on Kujundžiluk, and the Neretva framed in one view.
How many steps? Sources genuinely disagree. The heritage record counts 78 stone steps; visitor accounts regularly put it closer to 90. We have not counted them, so we publish both rather than pick one. Either way it is a few minutes, not an expedition.
Entry price and opening hours: read this before you budget
This is the part of the visit we are least able to help with, and we would rather say so than hand you a number that turns out to be wrong. Checking the guides and travel sites most visitors actually read returned four mutually incompatible figures for the same visit, as of September 2026:
| What we found | Figure quoted | And what it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Major booking-portal guides | 7–8 BAM | Entry plus minaret, described as approximate |
| A blog guide updated July 2026 | 15 BAM | Mosque and minaret; says cash or card |
| An attractions database | 4 BAM + 10 BAM | Entry listed separately from the minaret climb |
| A self-guided walking route | 6 BAM | Entry and minaret together |
We are not going to choose one. A spread of 4 to 15 BAM on the same visit is not a rounding difference, and none of these sources is an official channel. Assume the higher end when budgeting and check the sign at the gate. For reference, one euro is worth about 1.96 BAM, so even the top figure is a few euros — the price is not the deciding factor here, the timing is.
Opening hours are no better corroborated. We found the visiting day given as 08:30–19:30 and separately as 09:00–19:00, each hedged with “seasonal variation”. Because a working mosque also closes to visitors around the five daily prayers, any fixed window would be misleading. Ask locally on the day; if the climb matters to you, go before late afternoon.
Visiting respectfully
- Shoes off before entering the prayer hall — there is a rack at the door.
- Shoulders and knees covered; women should cover their hair, and scarves are usually lent at the entrance.
- Skip prayer times, and step back rather than photographing anyone at prayer.
- Cash helps — small notes cover everything else in Mostar too.
- Allow half an hour; this is a stop inside an old-town wander, not a destination you plan a morning around.
Fitting it into a day trip
The mosque sits on the old-town side of the river, so it works whichever gateway you come from. From Dubrovnik or Split it is one stop among several on a Herzegovina day, usually paired with Blagaj, Počitelj or the Kravice falls. Coming from Sarajevo you have more slack, because the drive is shorter and there is no border to cross.
Tours that cover the old town
Small group · live availability
Walking tour: three eras GetYourGuideLive prices via GetYourGuide
See it on a day trip →FAQ
What is Koski Mehmed Pasha?
The mosque, full name Koski Mehmed-pašina džamija — the early-17th-century Ottoman mosque on the bank of the Neretva, whose climbable minaret looks back at Stari Most. Locals often say only "Koski". It sits a couple of minutes from the bridge, on the same side as Kujundžiluk.
How much does it cost to climb the minaret?
Published figures disagree by nearly four times — we have seen everything from 4 BAM to 15 BAM quoted for combination visits, and some sources charge the mosque and the minaret climb separately. We do not publish a price here because we cannot verify one. Budget for the higher figure and treat the sign at the door as authoritative.
What time does the mosque open?
We have found the visiting day given as 08:30–19:30 and as 09:00–19:00, both with seasonal variation noted, and both from sources we could not corroborate. Rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind, we suggest checking locally on the day. The mosque closes to visitors around prayer times in any case.
Is the minaret climb hard?
It is short but tight. The spiral stair is narrow, dim and often walked by people coming down at the same time, and the heritage record counts 78 stone steps while visitor accounts often say nearer 90. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs, and anyone uneasy in enclosed heights should weigh the view against the stair.
What should I wear?
Remove your shoes before entering the prayer hall. Modest dress for everyone, and women should cover their hair — headscarves are usually available at the entrance. Photography is generally welcome, but step back if prayers begin.
How long should I allow?
Around 30–45 minutes for the mosque, courtyard and minaret together. It is a few steps off Kujundžiluk and roughly two minutes from Stari Most, so it slots into an old-town wander rather than needing a slot of its own.
Mostar Day Trip may earn a commission from partner bookings at no extra cost to you. Prices and opening times change; where our sources disagree we have said so rather than guessing.