One of the stops on our route during our trip was the mosque in Bohoniki. Bohoniki is a small village near the border with Belarus. The land was donated to the Polish Tatars and it is here that they built their temple.
The mosque was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. During the war, it was destroyed by the Nazis, who arranged a field hospital here. In 2005, it was completely renovated.
We know so little about Islam. In school they taught us only about Christianity, and the subject of religion, unfortunately, did not mention other religions. So we needed to learn about it ourselves.
We were in a mosque for the first time in our lives. We got there on Friday. Who would have thought that Friday for Muslims is like a Christian Sunday, when the main service is held. We had to wait for a while until they finished praying. From outside we could hear only some Arabic chanting.
The mosque is divided into three parts. The first is the vestibule, where shoes are removed. Women must also have their shoulders covered, and if you do not have the proper attire, you can borrow a scarf. The second room is a room for men only and the third room for women – according to the requirements of Islam. Men and women are separated by a wooden wall with a slot in which hangs a curtain. Observing the main hall is possible from there. The men’s room has a small balcony (gallery), a mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca), and a minbar (pulpit).
As we learned here in Bohoniki, women can enter the men’s part. In Kruszyniany, apparently, this is impossible, because they are stricter there.
We were able to learn a lot about the mosque, customs and religious rules. We were told this by the current imam, the religious leader — the head of the mosque.
The tour is paid — effectively by purchasing bricks for PLN 5 per adult.