Royal Mosque (Elbasan)

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Entrance hall and entrance shortly after the restoration work was completed in autumn 2013
Interior of the royal mosque with mihrāb and minbar

The King's Mosque ( Albanian  Xhamia e Mbretit / Xhamia Mbret ) in Elbasan , central Albania, is considered to be the country's oldest surviving mosque . The mosque, built at the end of the 15th century, is located in the old city within the fortress walls. Since 1948 it has been one of the cultural monuments of Albania.

The exact origin of the mosque is not known. The Islamic art historian Machiel Kiel links the founding of the mosque with the activities to rebuild Elbasan by Sinan Pascha Borovinić and suspects that the construction dates back to the late 15th century or perhaps the early 16th century. Other sources indicate that 1492 was the year of construction. Stylistically, the mosque matches other places of worship that were built by order of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II after his trip through Albania at the end of the 15th century, as well as the royal mosque of Berat .

The mosque consists of the square prayer room, the sides of which are around 14 meters long. In front of it there is a large, wooden vestibule and the minaret is in the northwest corner . The prayer room was divided into two areas by a sloping, wooden archway made up of three columns.

The mosque was the largest and most important in the city. Evliya Çelebi reports from his visit in 1671 that countless travelers have immortalized themselves on the walls of the mosque. Restoration work was carried out in the 19th century, and this graffiti was probably also removed.

After the ban on religion in Albania in 1967, the building was converted and changed. It served as a center for popular political education . In 1979 only the prayer room was left of the building - the minaret had been torn down and the vestibule was replaced by a simple extension.

In 2013 the mosque was extensively and faithfully restored. The minaret was also rebuilt.

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. 114-117 .

Web links

Commons : Royal Mosque  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Guntram Koch: DuMont Art Travel Guide Albania . DuMont, Cologne 1989, ISBN 3-7701-2079-5 .
  2. ↑ Elbasan - Xhamia Mbret, një nga objektet më të hershme të kultit në Shqipëri. In: Drita Islame online. June 13, 2013, archived from the original on June 16, 2013 ; Retrieved on March 4, 2014 (Albanian): "Deri më tani nuk ka ndonjë mbishkrim datues, por sipas historianëve, ajo i takon shekullit të XV-të, e lidhur kjo me themeluesin e saj."
  3. ↑ Komuniteti Shqiptar per Kultet: Religious building with status "Culture Monument" ( Memento from July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ a b c d 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. 114-117 .
  5. ↑ Xhamia mbret në kalanë e Elbasanit. In: Ministria e Turizmit, Kultures, Rinise dhe Sporteve. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012 ; Retrieved March 4, 2014 (Albanian).
  6. ↑ Xhamia Mbret në Elbasan, një nga faltoret më të hershme. In: TRT Shqip. October 13, 2013, accessed March 4, 2014 (Albanian).
  7. ↑ Elbasan, drejt përfundimit rikonstruksioni i Xhamisë Mbret. In: Sot. July 25, 2013, accessed March 4, 2014 (Albanian).

Coordinates: 41 ° 6 ′ 50.3 "  N , 20 ° 4 ′ 52.4"  E