Weekend Getaways
Tatarland – Wooden mosques, Muslim villages and cemeteries belong to the familiar Polish Podlasie landscapes
At first you may think it’s a little Orthodox church. Wooden temple situated in the Bohoniki village has been built on a plan similar to square. Shingle hip roof is capped with a dome shaped turret. However a gold crescent on the top dispels all doubts. It is a mosque, one of two mosques on a Tatar trail in Poland, which stretches from Sokolka to Bohoniki and Kruszyniany, near the Belarusian boarder.
The Tatars were fetched to Poland by John III Sobieski in 1679 after the war with Turkey. He granted them a land as a recompense for an overdue wages. It is estimated that around 400 Tatar families settled down at the time. Nowadays, after over 300 years, there are scarcely several tens of Tatars left there. Those who passed away rest on mizars – Muslim cemeteries. The mizar of Bohoniki is very big relating to the size of the village – it is 2 hectares large. The graves capped with crescents stand between high pines. Some of them come from nineteenth century, others are even older. The inscriptions are written in three languages: Arabic, Belarusian and Polish; the oldest one comes from the year 1786. The Polish followers of Islam – inhabitants of different towns and villages from the whole country – remember this place at the end of their life. Thus on the mizar’s gates you can read: It is strictly forbidden to reserve space without the community’s agreement.
The nearby mosque looks rather simple; you won’t find any ornaments in the interior, only the floor is covered with a couple of colourful rugs. It is necessary to take off shoes by the entrance.
Mihrab – a niche with a tiny window indicates the direction of Mecca. On the right hand side you can see a minbar – it is a pulpit. Bohoniki does not have their own imam any more and therefore the service is held only once a month and also during important ceremonies like weddings or funerals.
The second mosque located in Kruszyniany is the oldest Muslim temple in Poland. It was built in the end of eighteenth century. There are decorative fabrics called muhirs pegged to the walls; the Koran’s verses can be read on them. Allah is the most wonderful and the cleverest – you can read on the attached translation.
Stunning mosques and mizars sunken in the Podlasie’s landscapes are living examples of the cultural richness of old Poland. Their unique beauty creates one of the most remarkable sights in Poland.
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