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Namazgah Mosque

Coordinates: 41°19′32″N 19°49′27″E / 41.32556°N 19.82417°E / 41.32556; 19.82417
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Namazgah Mosque
Xhamia Namazgjasë
The mosque in 2019 during construction
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusMosque
Location
LocationTirana, Albania
Length56x28m

Namazgah Mosque (Template:Lang-sq), also known as Great Mosque of Tirana, is a mosque which is currently being built in Tirana, Albania. When completed, it will be the largest mosque in the Balkans, Southeastern Europe.[1]

The mosque is one of the symbols of the Albanian capital Tirana. When completed, it would be expected to include a library, cultural center, parking area, Quran course venue, exhibition hall, cafeteria as well as a conference hall. At the same time, more than 5000 worshippers could pray simultaneously in the mosque.

History

In 1992, then president, Sali Berisha, laid the first stone of a mosque to be constructed near Namazgja square, close to the parliament. Construction was delayed after the speaker of parliament, Pjetër Arbnori contested the plans.[2]

In September 2008, Albania's Grand Mufti Shaban Salihaj requested for the construction of a central mosque in Tirana. His request was widely publicized, and the Albanian Muslims felt being discriminated by the government. The Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha did not grant permission for the construction.[3]

In late 2010, Berisha and the Socalist Party's chairman Edi Rama were campaigning for the upcoming elections, and both had a political quarrel regarding the construction of the mosque. The Berisha government donated lands to the Muslim community, on the condition that it would be used for the construction of the mosque. Rama offered the building for the mosque, though the Albanian Muslim community rejected it since they asserted that the land did not belong to the community and that, the property claims would be unresolved. After Rama lost in the elections, the fate of the mosque was taken by mayor Lulzim Basha.[4]

In 10 November 2011, the government established a commission for the construction. The Muslim community proposed that the mosque should be built at the Namazgah park, which belonged to them, and not at the centre, where the government proposed. On March 20, 2012, Basha announced that the mosque would be built at the park. In April 2012, Selim Muca called for the government to finally place the first brick and lay the foundation of the mosque. On October 25, Basha reassured Muca that the dispute regarding the ownership of the land was resolved and working would soon start for the mosque. Despite this, at the end of 2012, the mosque was still not built.[5]

As seen from the top of the Pyramid of Tirana

The building of the mosque is considered necessary because there are only 8 mosques in the city, down from 28 in 1967. During Islamic holidays, the Skanderbeg Square is filled with Muslim worshipers, because the Ottoman-era Ethem Bey mosque, currently Tirana's principal mosque, has a capacity of only 60 persons. Rain makes Friday sermons impossible.[6]

The mosque will have four minarets, each 50 meters high, while the central dome will have a height of 30 meters. The first floor of the mosque will include a cultural center and other facilities.[7] The mosque is being constructed on a 10,000-square-meter parcel of land near Albania's parliament building and will have the capacity for up to 4,500 people to pray at one time within the mosque.[8]

The financing for the mosque's construction comes from the main state-run Turkish Muslim organisation Diyanet.[9] In 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Albania for the inauguration ceremony.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Turkey builds biggest mosque of Balkans in Albania". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. ^ "New Mosque Plan Catches Albania Muslims Off Guard". 22 November 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Nielsen 2009, p. 23.
  4. ^ Nielsen 2012, p. 12.
  5. ^ Nielsen 2013, p. 35.
  6. ^ Nadia Pantel (January 2, 2015). "Balancieren in Tirana". jetzt.de – Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "Namazgja 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.
  8. ^ "Turkey's mosque project in Albania on schedule, says engineer". Hurriyet. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Mosqued objectives:Turkey is sponsoring Islam abroad to extend its prestige and power". Economist. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016."
  10. ^ "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan honored the opening of a mosque in Albania | Tika Government".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Namazgâh Mosque of Tirana.

41°19′32″N 19°49′27″E / 41.32556°N 19.82417°E / 41.32556; 19.82417

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