Sulejman Pasha Bargjini

The no longer existing Türbe of the Pasha in front of the Old Mosque of Tirana

Sulejman Pascha Bargjini ( Turkish Berkinzâde Süleyman Paşa ) was an Albanian general of the Ottoman Empire and local feudal lord . He is considered the founder of Tirana , the capital of Albania .

Sulejman Pasha was originally from Bargjin , but settled in the village of Mullet a few kilometers south of Tirana. He served as a janissary who was bestowed the title of pasha . He led a successful campaign against the Persian Safavid Empire .

In 1614 he built the Old Mosque of Tirana , a bakery and a hammam (Turkish bath). A regional marketplace was established around these buildings and the city developed as a result. That is why he is considered the founder of Tirana, today's capital of Albania. According to a local legend, he named the place Tirana after Tehran , the capital of Persia (now Iran ). However, this is considered refuted.

A statue of Sulejman Pasha stands at the place where the mosque and tomb he founded used to stand. A smaller street in another part of Tirana bears his name.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Zija Shkodra: Tirana - Capital City of Albania . In: Harald Heppner (Hrsg.): Capitals in Southeast Europe: history, function, national symbolism . Böhlau Verlag Vienna, 1994, ISBN 978-3-205-98255-5 , p. 137– ( online [accessed May 6, 2011]).

personal data
SURNAME	Bargjini, Sulejman Pasha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bargjini, Sylejman Pashë; Berkinzâde Süleyman Paşa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Founder of Tiranas
DATE OF BIRTH	16th Century
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bargjin, Ottoman Empire
DATE OF DEATH	17th century
Place of death	Tirana, Ottoman Empire

[Heppner1994-1] Zija Shkodra: Tirana - Capital City of Albania . In: Harald Heppner (Hrsg.): Capitals in Southeast Europe: history, function, national symbolism . Böhlau Verlag Vienna, 1994, ISBN 978-3-205-98255-5 , p. 137– ( online [accessed May 6, 2011]).