“The first mention of the clock tower is made at the beginning of the 17th century in a work of Catib Celebija (Chatib Chalabiya), an Ottoman geographer. The clock tower was burnt down in the fire when Eugene of Savoy made a raid on Sarajevo in 1697, and it was repaired 30 years later. Then it was burnt down again in 1831 and was repaired in 1834. Its upper part was added in 1875 due to installing a new clockwork which the head office of the Gazi Husrev Beg Waqf purchased from London.

The clockwork drives four clock faces, each face looking towards one side of the world, and a considerable increase in the height of the clock tower enabled good visibility of the clock faces. The clock shows the lunar time, which means that a day ends at the moment of astronomical sunset and that, according to this calendar, a new day begins at that very moment. Considering that the length of a day constantly changes, including the time of sunset, the clockwork has to be adjusted regularly.

It is the duty of a muwagait who, on the basis of the exact determination of the time of sunset, makes necessary adjustments to the clock and sets the right time. When the sun sets, the clock tower is supposed to show 12 o’clock.”

Source:

Informational Plaque in the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque Courtyard