Kasum Mosque, Rahovec

The Kasum Mosque, with its main facade oriented to the north, is located in the town of Rahovec, on Bekim Sylka Street. Nearby are: Republika Square, the old fountain in the square, the Sokol Mosque, the Tower House of Hajrullah Çanta, as well as the old traditional houses around it.
According to the residents of Rahovec, the Kasum Mosque was built in the 19th century, in 1826, by the Haxhimustafa family with the support of the residents, while the plot was donated by the benefactor Kosum Shtatvica.
Architecturally, the mosque is built on sloping terrain, with a rectangular floor plan, and consists of the prayer hall: square in shape with dimensions of 677×657 cm and a height of 625 cm; the hayat (porch): half-open and covered with a roof, which serves as the entrance to the mosque, with an irregular floor plan; and the annex: built later on the eastern side of the mosque, rectangular in shape, with dimensions of 577×360 cm and a height of 240 cm.
The prayer hall has the gallery, or mahvil, built with a timber construction and supported by two timber columns, and it is surrounded by timber railings or balustrades. The construction of the mahvil and the columns are covered with white plaster-gypsum. Access to the mahvil is provided through the stairs of the minaret.
The prayer hall also contains the Mihrab, set into the wall, the Minbar, and the Kursi, made of wood.
Inside the mosque, specifically in the dome, there are mural paintings with geometric and floral decorations. The minaret of the mosque has one balcony (sherefe) and access is provided through an opening in the wall, which is at the level of the prayer hall.
The foundations of the mosque are presumed to be of stone, while the walls of the prayer hall, 70 cm thick, are of baked bricks bound with cement mortar, whereas the walls of the hayat and the annex are of concrete blocks, 25 cm thick. The minaret of the mosque is built of pumice stone (siga), plastered on the outside with cement mortar, and was repaired after the year 2000 as a result of damage from shells during the last war in Kosovo, in 1998-1999.
Immovable furnishings: the Mihrab; the Minbar made of wood with geometric decorations, which was transferred from the bazaar mosque with a gallery, demolished in 2000; the Kursi made of wood; the wooden railing of the mahvil; mural paintings with geometric and floral decorations in the dome;
Movable furnishings: Prayer beads (tespih); a large wooden clock; the capital base, carved from local stone, which is located in the courtyard of the mosque;
The mosque has historical value because during the 1990s it served as a secondary school for students of the Municipality of Rahovec; during nationwide demonstrations and protests it served for demonstration gatherings and as shelter for them; and during the last war in Kosovo in 1998-99 it served as a depot for food and clothing, for supplying the fighters of the KLA.
Throughout the entire time, the mosque has served, and still serves, as a mosque, a place of Islamic worship for the residents of Rahovec.