Bachelor mosque

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Street facade with arcades

The Bachelor Mosque ( Albanian  Xhamia e Beqarëve ) is a historic building in the central Albanian city ​​of Berat in the Mangalem district . It stands at the foot of the castle hill, not far from the Osum, built on the slope.

The mosque was completed in 1826, some sources name the 18th century as the construction period. Originally it was called Süleyman Paşa (alb. Sylejman Pasha ). In the lower part of the mosque, under the arcades , shops and warehouses were once integrated, which contributed to the maintenance of the mosque. In the past, the owners of these shops hired young men (mostly bachelors) to guard their shops, hence the name of the mosque. Machiel Kiel explains that the origin of the name is unclear and that the area around the mosque may have been a meeting place for bachelors.

Interior with mihrāb opposite the entrance

The floor plan measures 16.9 by 18.3 meters. The prayer room is almost square with a room length of twelve meters. The paintings show red, floral ornaments around depictions of mosques. The vestibule on the slope side of the mosque was built in 1827 and is slightly wider than the main building on both sides. The paintings on the outer walls, which show ornaments, arabesques , plants and cityscapes, are clearly visible . This makes the mosque one of the most decorated Islamic places of worship in the country. The minaret is comparatively low. It's in the southwest corner.

In 1961 the mosque was declared a cultural monument of Albania.

The arcades of the mosque are now used for women's clothing stores.

literature

  • 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. 70-74 .

Web links

Commons : Bachelor Mosque  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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. 70-74 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Guntram Koch: DuMont Art Travel Guide Albania . DuMont, Cologne 1989, ISBN 3-7701-2079-5 , p. 211 .
  3. ↑ Mosuqée of Célibataires (Xhamia beqareve e). (No longer available online.) In: Petit futé. Formerly in the original ; accessed on January 27, 2013 (French): "Elle tient son nom des jeunes assistants, généralement célibataires, auxquels les commerçants de la ville faisaient appel pour surveiller leurs boutiques."
  4. ^ Objects Fetare Monument Kulture. In: Komiteti Shtetëror për Kultet. Retrieved September 21, 2014 (Albanian).

Coordinates: 40 ° 42 ′ 17 ″  N , 19 ° 57 ′ 1 ″  E