Babadag
Baba Dağ · Babadag ba-ba-dag
Ottoman heritage among forests, the city of Baba Dag.
Back to the Dobruja pageAbout the town
Babadag, in brief
Babadag, "father's mountain" in Turkish, is the city set among the forests of the north-Dobrogean hills, beside the lake of the same name. The name comes from the dervish Sari Saltuk Baba, the legendary bringer of Islam to Dobrogea, whose mausoleum stands here.
In the Ottoman era, Babadag was the most important military and administrative centre of Dobrogea, seat of a sanjak and, for brief periods, headquarters of Ottoman armies in campaigns towards the north.
Ali Gazi Pașa Mosque, built around 1610, is among the oldest Islamic monuments in Romania. And archaeologists know the city for "Babadag culture", the early Hallstatt civilisation discovered on the lakeshore.
History
Babadag through time
The moments that shaped the town, from the first settlements to today.
Babadag culture
On the lakeshore flourishes the Hallstatt culture that today bears the city's name.
Sari Saltuk Baba
The legendary dervish settles here with the Seljuk Turks; his mausoleum becomes a place of pilgrimage.
Ali Gazi Pașa Mosque
The city's great mosque is built, a historic monument today.
Ottoman capital of Dobrogea
Babadag is the seat of the sanjak and command point of Ottoman campaigns.
Romanian city
After Dobrogea's union with Romania, Babadag remains the centre of the northern Muslim community.
To see
What to see in Babadag
Ali Gazi Pașa Mosque
Mosque from 1610, among the oldest in Romania.
Built around 1610 by Ali Gazi Pașa, the mosque is the Ottoman masterpiece of Babadag: massive stone walls, an elegant minaret and an interior of solemn simplicity. A historic monument, it remains the place of worship of the local Muslim community.
Ali Gazi Pașa founds the city's great mosque.
Babadag is the Ottoman seat of Dobrogea; the mosque is its heart.
Historic monument and active place of worship.
Sari Saltuk Baba Mausoleum
Place of pilgrimage linked to the legendary dervish of Dobrogea.
Sari Saltuk Baba, the legendary dervish who brought Islam to Dobrogea in the 13th century, is buried, according to tradition, at Babadag. His mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from across the Balkan peninsula, and legends attribute seven tombs in seven countries to him.
Sari Saltuk settles in Dobrogea with the Seljuk Turks.
Sultan Bayezid II rebuilds the mausoleum.
Place of pilgrimage for Muslims from the Balkans.
Babadag Forest and Lake
Landscape of wooded hills and lake, at the edge of the steppe.
Babadag Forest is the largest continuous forest in Dobrogea, an island of greenery between steppe and Lake Razim. At its foot, Lake Babadag and its channels lead towards the Razim-Sinoe lagoon complex, heaven for birds and anglers.
On the lakeshore flourishes Hallstatt Babadag culture.
Downy oak forest and lake linked to Razim lagoon.
Map
Landmarks on the map
Pins open the place sheets for Babadag.
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Software rooted in these places
From the region of Babadag we build four free apps: iShopSync, Gym, iMemory and Daunomania.
See our apps