Et’hem Bey Mosque

Et’hem Bey Mosque, is one-of-a-kind mosque located in the centre of Tirana. Et’hem Bey Mosque is the only remaining mosque of eight that were erected in Tirana during the XVIII and XIX centuries. Molla Bey erected the chapel’s foundations around the end of the XVIII century, and his son Haji Et’hem Bey finished it in the first quarter of the XIX century.

The Et’hem Bey Mosque is divided into three sections: a prayer hall, a portico that surrounds the mosque’s north side, and a minaret. On the north side, there is an entrance to the prayer hall, which has a square layout and is built in an unusual volume. It is topped with a dome that is semi-spherical in shape and lacks windows. The mosque’s frescoes portray trees, waterfalls, and bridges; Islamic art is devoid of still life paintings.

By the end of 1967, most churches, mosques, tekkes, monasteries, and other religious institutions had been shuttered or demolished, or turned into warehouses, gymnasiums, or workplaces. On 18 January 1991, 10,000 people entered waving flags, despite protests from communist officials. This occurred during the early stages of communism’s demise in Albania. The occasion was a watershed moment in the country’s revival of religious freedom. Visitors may see the mosque’s magnificent architecture and outstanding wall and ceiling murals inspired by eastern traditions. The mosque’s frescoes portray forests, waterfalls, and bridges, a rarity in Islamic art.

The mosque had renovation in 2019 and is reopen in April 2021.