Iljaz Mirahori Mosque () is a historic mosque in
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
,
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 ...
.
History
The mosque was built in 1494 and finished in 1496 by
Iljaz Hoxha (also known as Iljaz Bey Mirahori), who was a veteran of the
Istanbul Conquest and the city-founder of Korçë. According to the writer
Sami Frashëri
Sami bey Frashëri ( tr, Şemseddin Sami Bey; June 1, 1850 – June 18, 1904) or Şemseddin Sâmi was an Ottoman Albanian writer, philosopher, playwright and a pr ...
, it was built on the foundations of an existing monastery, then called dedicated to
Saint Paraskevi ''(Kisha e Shën e Premtes)''.
With its
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
being torn down during the Communist dictatorship, the Iliaz Mirahor mosque was declared a religious
Cultural Monument of Albania
In Albania, a cultural monument ''()'' is a construction or work of cultural, historical and artistic value that is built in a visible space, made in memory of important events or prominent people. Cultural monuments are usually under state protect ...
.
After the end of Communist rule in the 1990s, the minaret was not rebuild until 2014 in a slightly different style compared to the original one. The Ottoman
Clock Tower of Korçë in front of the mosque has also been rebuilt afterwards.
References
Mosques completed in 1496
Ottoman architecture in Albania
1496 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
Buildings and structures in Korçë
Mosques in Albania
Tourist attractions in Korçë
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