Preliminary activities including the unearthing of the foundation were completed last week, and the authorities of the Bosnian Serb entity already earmarked 150,000 euros as the first installment for the rebuilding of this mosque, which was destroyed in a blast when local Serb extremists planted explosives in May 1993.
Ferhadija, which was on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was built in 1579.
When it was destroyed, parts of this mosque were stowed away in the city's waste dump according to an order of the then local Serb authorities in Banja Luka.
Since the start of this year, about 70 percent of the material from the mosque has been found there.
The Islamic community has recently announced that it is going to organise fund-raising conferences in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. So far, the governments of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and some other European countries have pledged to financially support the reconstruction of the biggest mosque in Banja Luka.