Press Releases 2007
Ambassador's Fund Helps Restore Fountain of Hussein Pasha Mosque in Pljevlja
October 1, 2007
On October 3, U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro Roderick W. Moore will announce a $30,100 grant provided by the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation for the restoration of a fountain of the Hussein Pasha mosque in Pljevlja. President of the Islamic community board of Pljevlja, Ibrahim Brahic, and Mayor of Pljevlja, Filip Vukovic, will speak at the ceremony. The Reis of Montenegro's Islamic community, Rifat Fejzic, Assistant Minister of Culture Predrag Malbasa, and other guests will attend the event.
The restoration of the Pljevlja mosque fountain is one of 57 projects in 54 countries awarded this year through the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. The U.S. Congress established this program in 2001 to help preserve historic sites and manuscripts, museum collections, and traditional forms of music, dance, and language. Thus far it has funded 378 projects totaling $9.5 million. In Montenegro, The Ambassador's Fund helped restore the lower ramparts of the Kotor fortress in 2003.
The Hussein Pasha mosque was built from 1585 to 1594 and represents the most significant and best preserved example of late 16th century Islamic religious architecture in the Balkans. Its Minaret is 42 meters high, and is the highest on the Balkans. In the Dossier of the Republican Bureau for Protection of Cultural Monuments, the mosque is described as a cultural-historical, aesthetic and ambient monument of "extreme importance," the highest category. Currently, the mosque itself is undergoing complete restoration of its interior and exterior.
Journalists interested in covering the event should be in front of the Hussein Pasha mosque in Pljevlja no later than 13:00 on Wednesday, October 3. After their remarks, Ambassador Moore, Mayor Vukovic and representatives of the Islamic community will be available for journalists' questions.
During his October 3 visit to Pljevlja, Ambassador Moore will visit several USAID-funded projects and host an Iftar dinner on the occasion of the Islamic religious holiday Ramadan. Media wishing to photograph these events should contact Sasa Brajovic, at brajovics@state.gov, or at 067 283 542 for further details.
For more information on the U.S. Government's programs in Montenegro, please visit the Embassy's web site at http://podgorica.usembassy.gov.