Malaysia's Agung Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, attended Friday prayers in a Sarajevo mosque at the start of a private three-day visit to the Balkan country.

After attending the mosque in downtown Sarajevo, the king visited a primary school built through donations from his country.

The Muslim member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Sulejman Tihic, accompanied the king during the prayers.

Malaysia's king has largely ceremonial duties and acts on the advice of the cabinet, but is the Islamic leader in a number of Malaysian states and also heads the military under the constitution.

Some 40 percent of Bosnia's 3.8 million inhabitants are Muslims. Around 31 percent are Serbs, who are mainly Orthodox, and 10 percent are Croats, who are mostly Catholics.