The Selimiye Mosque, built in 2014 by Türkiye's state aid agency, continues to serve the small Montenegrin city of Bar as an Islamic cultural center.
Besides its 1,500-person, the complex is home to classrooms, a conference hall, a library, and a kindergarten, all built by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), for members of the community.
Chief Imam of the city, Muidin Milaimi told Anadolu that TIKA provides the center with financial support and assistance.
"The Islamic Cultural Center in Bar has a usable area of 4,000 square meters (about 43,000 sq feet). Our mosque has a total area of 600 square meters with its lower and upper floors. Under normal conditions, it hosts around 1,200 people.
"However, on Fridays and Eid (holiday) prayers, or on days when tourists are present, it can take 1,500 people to pray at the same time," said Milaimi.
According to him, every square meter of the complex was built to serve the local community.
"There is a conference hall on the ground floor of the complex. There are offices, classrooms where Turkish, English, and Arabic language courses are held. A kindergarten, library, guesthouses, and a restaurant are in the center," Milaimi added.
The Islamic Union of Montenegro began constructing the Selimiye Mosque and Islamic Cultural Center in 2002 but building stalled in 2008 due to financial difficulties.
Then in 2013, Türkiye's TIKA took over the project and played a leading role in the construction of the mosque and center, which opened their doors in 2014.
