Namazgah Mosque

Namazgah mosque of Tirana
Xhamia e Namazgjase
The Namazgjah mosque during construction
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Sect	Sunni islam
District	Zona 1
Province	Tirana county
Region	Tirana, Albania
Ownership	Albanian Muslim Community[1]
Location
Location	Tirana city, Albania
Municipality	Tirana
Country	Albania
Shown within Albania
Geographic coordinates	41°19′32″N 19°49′27″E
Architecture
Type	Sunni mosque
Style	Classical Ottoman Style
Funded by	Presidency of Religious Affairs, Turkey
Groundbreaking	2015
Completed	October 10, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-10-10)
Construction cost	30 million euros
Specifications
Capacity	8000 people inside, 2000 outside; 10,000 total
Dome height (outer)	30 meters
Minaret(s)	4
Minaret height	50 meters

The Namazgah Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Namazgjasë; English: Mosque of Prayer) or the Great Mosque of Tirana (Albanian: Xhamia e Madhe e Tiranës), is the largest mosque in the Balkans, located in Tirana, Albania.

History

Even after the fall of communism in Albania, in 1991, Muslim Albanians often complained about being discriminated against. While two cathedrals (Eastern Orthodox and Catholic) were built, as of 2016 Muslims in Albania still had no central mosque and had to pray in the streets. In 1992, then president, Sali Berisha, laid the first stone of the mosque to be constructed near Namazgah square, close to the Albanian parliament. Construction was delayed after the speaker of parliament, Pjetër Arbnori, contested the plans.[2]

The decision of building the mosque was taken in 2010, by then mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama. The building of the mosque is considered necessary because there are only eight mosques in the city, down from 28 in 1967. During Islamic holidays, the Skanderbeg Square is filled with Muslim worshipers, because the Ottoman-era Et'hem Bey Mosque, currently Tirana's principal mosque, has a capacity of only 60 persons. Rain makes Friday sermons impossible.[3]

As seen from the top of the Pyramid of Tirana

Construction of the new mosque was launched in 2015 with the financing of 30 million euros ($34 million) partly coming from the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey, Diyanet.[4][5] In 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Albania for the inauguration ceremony of the mosque.[5]

The mosque was officially opened on October 10, 2024, in a ceremony at which the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Albanian prime minister Edi Rama delivered speeches.[4] The mosque is expected to increase tourism and will replace the Et'hem Bey Mosque in the city center as the main mosque.

Architecture

The mosque's design was inspired by Classical Ottoman architecture. It has four minarets, each 50 meters high, while the central dome has a height of 30 meters. The first floor of the mosque includes a cultural center and other facilities.[6] The mosque has been constructed on a 10,000-square-meter parcel of land near Albania's parliament building. It has a capacity for up to 8,000 people to pray inside the mosque and 2,000 on the outside; totaling at 10,000 people.[7][4]

References

1. "Hapja e "Namazgjasë"/ Kryemyftiu Bilal Teqja për ABC News: Ja si do menaxhohet xhamia". YouTube (in Albanian). 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
2. "New Mosque Plan Catches Albania Muslims Off Guard". 22 November 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
3. Nadia Pantel (January 2, 2015). "Balancieren in Tirana". jetzt.de – Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
4. Tanrıkulu Kızıl, Nurbanu (2024-10-10). "President Erdoğan inaugurates largest mosque in Balkans". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
5. "Mosqued objectives:Turkey is sponsoring Islam abroad to extend its prestige and power". Economist. Retrieved 23 January 2016."
6. "Namazgah mosque, Berisha: The denied right was made just". Albanian Screen TV. April 20, 2013. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
7. "Turkey's mosque project in Albania on schedule, says engineer". Hurriyet. March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

External links

• Official Website (Albanian and English)