The mosque in Pljevlja. I took these photos in Pljevlja....this mosque was built by a Montenegrin--actually from the Pljevlja area--who became a prominent general/regional governor in the Turkish empire after the Turks gained control over much of Serbia-Montenegro, around 1680, if memory serves me. As a young man, he was sent to Turkey to be educated and then started his rise in prominence.

This shot is from the balcony of my hotel room....back of the mosque...but it gives you a full look at the accompanying prayer tower. Locals, so anyway, call this The Rocket. It is a local landmark and always lets you know where you are in the city--provided you can see it.
The front doors of the mosque. I probably should have snapped a close-up as well. Simply beautiful. Amazing construction and so impressive that it survived. I asked a new friend if many mosques were destroyed after the Turks left Montenegro....he said generally no and characterized the region as having religious tolerance at the time. And, even today, with 15% of the population Muslim, he described tolerance as being part of this particular area. That was an interesting statement given the killings that took place, motivated by religion and nationalism, in the 1990s. It is all part of the Balkan Paradox.