Bazaar Mosque (Kruja)

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The mosque above the roofs of the bazaar

The Bazaar Mosque ( Albanian  Xhamia e Pazarit ) is a mosque from the Ottoman era in the city of Kruja in Albania . Due to its location above the bazaar outside the castle , it is also known as the “suburban mosque” (Xhamia e Varoshit) , also called the Murad Bey mosque after its builder . The building erected in 1533 is an official cultural monument (Monumente Kulturore) of Albania. The building measures around ten by 20 meters.

Building history

The mosque was built in 1533/34, around 60 years after the Turks conquered Kruja. The construction of such a large mosque outside the fortress points to peaceful times on the one hand, and to the importance of Islam in Kruja on the other . The mosque was restored in 1837/38. Inside it was decorated with colorful frescoes  . The roof structure was supported by six meter high columns.

Close up after the renovation

It was closed in 1967 after the practice of religion was banned in communist Albania. The minaret  was demolished and the building was subsequently used as a communal warehouse. The mosque reopened in May 1991, and just three years later the minaret was also rebuilt. During the renovation by the Turkish Presidium for International Cooperation and Coordination (TIKA) in the 2010s, the building was gutted and given a new roof. Furthermore, the previous stone facade was plastered and painted white. The ornate old interior painting of the bazaar mosque was completely lost during the renovation.

The two oldest surviving tombstones in Albania stood next to the mosque . The older one is dated 1530 and belongs to the grave of Nasush Bey , the father of the builder Murad Bey . The second dates from 1567. The two tombstones were brought to a museum together with an inscription containing the name of the builder, his father, the year of construction and that of the new building.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ramiz Zekaj: Zhvillimi i kulturës islame të Shqiptarët gjatë shekullit XX . Instituti shqiptar i mendimit dhe qytetërimit islamik, Tirana 1997 ( online version (doc; 767 kB) ).
  2. ↑ a b c d e Machiel Kiel : Ottoman architecture in Albania (1385-1912) . In: Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (Ed.): Islamic art series . tape 5 . Istanbul 1990, ISBN 92-9063-330-1 , pp. 180 f .
  3. ↑ Objects fetare monumente kulture. In: Komiteti shtetëror për Kultet. Retrieved July 17, 2016 (Albanian).
  4. ↑ a b Baki Dollma: Vende dhe ngjarje historike të Krujës e Kurbinit . "Dajti 2000", Tirana 2006, ISBN 99943-815-6-3 , p. 32 f .
  5. ↑ Erhan Uludağ: ARNAVUTLUK KRUJA MURAT BEY CAMİİ RESTORASYONU. In: Erhan Uludağ Şahsi Blog. April 21, 2014, accessed December 11, 2019 (Turkish).

Coordinates: 41 ° 30 ′ 34.8 ″  N , 19 ° 47 ′ 40.3 ″  E