Et'hem Bey Mosque
| Et'hem Bey Mosque | |
|---|---|
| Native name Xhamia e Et'hem Beut (Albanian) | |
 During the day | |
| Location | Tirana, Albania |
| Built | 1823 |
The Et'hem Bey Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Et'hem Beut) is located in the center of the Albanian capital Tirana.[1] Construction was started in 1789 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1823 by his son Ethem Pasha (Haxhi Ethem Bey), great-grandson of Sulejman Pasha.
Closed under communist rule, the mosque reopened as a house of worship in 1991, without permission from the authorities. 10,000 courageous people dared to attend and remarkably the police did not interfere. The event was a milestone in the rebirth of religious freedom in Albania. Take a look at the frescoes outside and in the portico which depict trees, waterfalls and bridges - motifs rarely seen in Islamic art. Take your shoes off before entering the inner room.
During the totalitarianism of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania, the mosque was closed. On January 18, 1991, despite opposition from communist authorities, 10,000 people entered carrying flags. This was at the onset of the fall of communism in Albania.[2] The frescoes of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges; still life paintings are a rarity in Islamic art.
Tours of the mosque are given daily, though not during prayer service.[3]
See also
References
- ^ M. Cavendish, World and Its Peoples page 1629
- ^ Anthony Clunies Ross, Petar Sudar, Albania's economy in transition and turmoil, 1990-97, 1998, page 57
- ^ Europe on a shoestring By Sarah Johnstone Page 59 ([1])
41°19′40″N 19°49′9″E / 41.32778°N 19.81917°E
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