Mosque Architecture Between Tradition and Modernity The Case of Sarajevo - Bosnia and Herzegovina Layla Karajica Department of Architecture & Interior Design, University of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain Since the mid 20th century, Mosque Architecture has been experiencing a shift from the formal and iconographic features that appear in mosques all over the world despite their various regional styles, to a modern architectural language that neither necessary "fits" the conventional stylistic design nor it is "easily recognizable". Many countries and regions, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular the city of Sarajevo, are experiencing the dilemma of mosque architecture between traditional and modernity. Some architects and many Muslims believe that the mosque should preserve a traditional identity and architectural language, while others strongly believe that the mosque design needs to consider the social and technological developments and to free itself from its stereotypic past. Common tangible features such as minarets, domes, ornamentations and arches; have been re-interpreted, re-modeled and sometimes completely disappeared in the search for contemporary mosque architectures in the 21st Century. In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, religious freedom was granted after the war (1992-1995), due to the change of the political system. Therefore, the construction of new religious buildings became the "public matter of the society and ethnic groups" resulting in a crucial role of architects. In this context, Mosque Architecture in Sarajevo has been experiencing the juxtaposition of two trends. On one hand, after the war some Muslim countries have sponsored the construction of new mosques, but at the same time have "imported" their architectural languages that are uncommon to Sarajevo. While on the other hand, this change has encouraged the opinion that architecture of the mosque should be innovative reflecting and relating to its current time. Hence new forms, constructions, materials, and technologies are to be explored; while preserving universal Islamic principles. The aim of the paper is to investigate these two trends of Mosque Architecture in Sarajevo and the users' opinions about the newly built mosques comparing with traditional mosques. Also, this paper traces the shift in Mosque Architecture from traditional to modern in the case of Sarajevo - Bosnia, from which some lessons could be learnt and enrich the debates on the subject of the Mosque Architecture between tradition and modernity Key words: Sarajevo, mosque, traditional, modern