Minaret of the Drenoc Mosque

One of the cultural heritage objects of the Ottoman period is (was) also the old mosque in the village of Drenoc. Unfortunately, this building, which managed to withstand the weather conditions and the wars of various conflicts, did not manage to withstand the ignorance and low awareness of certain individuals, who without hesitation demolished the only cultural monument the village had. In place of this mosque they built a new one a few meters farther (to the north), opening the way for part of the neighborhood located on its southern side. The only good fortune from this misfortune is that the minaret was not demolished, so a trace remained of this monument that was several centuries old. The old mosque, the only monument in this village, was demolished in 2010, while the old minaret remained at the back (front) of the new mosque.
The minaret of the mosque is built of pumice stone and was re-plastered in 1958, based on an engraving made on its body. The lower part of the gallery (sherefe) of the minaret is decorated with modest profiling, which is common for neighborhood mosques. The roof of the minaret (kylhan) is not original and was rebuilt later. Thus, of the existing original minaret only the building structure is original, while the plaster and the covering are from a later period.
The base of the minaret is hexagonal while the minaret itself is circular. The sherefe is reached by spiral stairs.
During the restoration of 2012, the base of the minaret was cleaned and conserved with horasan lime mortar. The protective railing of the gallery was repaired by reinstating missing pumice stones and using lime mortar as the binding material. The roof construction was completely rebuilt with timber and covered with lead sheets. At its top a new decoration (the “alem”) was installed, since the existing one was not original and was badly damaged. The whole minaret was plastered with horasan lime mortar, except for a section of about 1 m², leaving a trace to show the structure of the masonry. After the restoration of 2012 the minaret is today in good condition.