On Saturday, 7th May 2016 rebuilt Ferhat Pasha's mosque in Banja Luka was opened. On this occasion, delegation of the International University in Sarajevo headed by the rector of university, Prof. Dr. Yücel Oğurlu attended the ceremony. The ceremony was attended by high officials, including Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Bakir Izetbegovic, EU High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Valentin Inzko, and many others.
Emotional speech was made by the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who on this occasion said, "If anyone asks why we're here, we're here because of the beauty, for brotherhood, for all people. We were once here, now we are here and we will be here forever. BiH is one heart with all its diversity, a division of Bosnia would mean to divide the heart. Sarajevo can not be separated from Banja Luka or Mostar from Banja Luka. "
Ferhadija mosque was destroyed to the ground in 1993, and its restoration took 15 years. This mosque was one of the 16 destroyed mosques in Banja Luka during the Bosnian war from 1992 to 1995. All mosques were rebuilt except Arnaudija. The restoration was funded by many institutions, private foundations, the government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Srpska. The opening ceremony of the mosque was attended by worshipers from Bosnia and Herzegovina but also from other parts of Europe.
