The Hajji Et'hem Bey Mosque ( sq, Xhamia e Haxhi Et'hem Beut) is a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Closed under communist rule, the mosque reopened as a house of worship in 1991. Without permission from the authorities, 10,000 people attended and the police did not interfere. Frescoes outside and in the portico depict trees, waterfalls and bridges.

History

Construction was started in 1791 or 1794 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1819 or 1821 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey, grand-grandson of

Sulejman Pasha Sulejman Pasha Bargjini (also known in sq, Sylejman Pashë Mulleti, tr, Berkinzâde Süleyman Paşa) was an ethnic Albanian general, nobleman and Governor of the Ottoman Empire. He was originally from Bargjin, but he settled in the village of ...

. At the time it was built it was part of complex buildings that compose the historical center of Tirana. In front of mosque was the old Bazaar, in east the Sulejman Pasha Mosque, which was built on 1614 and destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and in the north-west the Karapici mosque. During the

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...

of the

Socialist People's Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

, the

was closed. On January 18, 1991, despite opposition from communist authorities, 10,000 people entered carrying

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

s. This was at the onset of the fall of

communism in Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

. The event was a milestone in the rebirth of religious freedom in Albania. The Mosque today, consists of an architectural complex together with the Clock Tower of Tirana. Tours of the mosque are given daily, though not during prayer service.Europe on a shoestring By Sarah Johnstone Page 59

Visitors must take their shoes off before entering the inner room.

Architecture

The Et'hem Bey Mosque is composed by prayer hall, a portico that surrounds its north and the minaret. On the north side is the entrance to the prayer hall, which is a squared plan and is constructed in a unique volume. It is covered with dome and the dome is semi-spherical and has no windows. The

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges. Ethem Bey Mosque Tirana Minaret Albania 017.jpg Tirana,_moschea_ethem_bey,_esterno_di_notte_02.JPG Et%27hem_Bey_Mosque_Tirana_3.JPG Et%27hem_Bey_Mosque_Tirana_4.JPG Tirana,_moschea_ethem_bey,_interno_08.JPG Tirana mosque 2016.jpg Tirana 2017.jpg

References

{{Mosques in Albania 1819 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Mosques completed in 1819 Ottoman architecture in Albania Mosques in Tirana Cultural Monuments of Albania Ottoman mosques

History

Architecture

See also

References