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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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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. It officially opened on October 10, 2024, with a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanand Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. During the event, held in the mosque’s garden, both leaders delivered speeches to mark the occasion

Namazgah mosque of Tirana
Xhamia e Namazgjase
The Namazgjah mosque during construction
Religion
AffiliationIslam
SectSunni islam
DistrictZona 1
ProvinceTirana county
RegionTirana, Albania
OwnershipThe Turkish government
Location
LocationTirana city, Albania
MunicipalityTirana
CountryAlbania
Namazgah Mosque is located in Albania
Namazgah Mosque
Shown within Albania
Geographic coordinates41°19′32″N 19°49′27″E / 41.32556°N 19.82417°E / 41.32556; 19.82417
Architecture
TypeSunni mosque
StyleClassic Turkish Style(Ottoman)
Completed2024
Capacity5000 people inside

History

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.[1]

The decision of building the mosque was taken in 2010, by then mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama. Construction started in 2014.

As seen from the top of the Pyramid of Tirana

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.[2]

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.[3] 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 5,000 people to pray at one time within the mosque.[4]

The financing for the mosque's construction partly came from the main state-run Turkish Muslim organisation Diyanet.[5] In 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Albania for the inauguration ceremony of the mosque.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Mosque Plan Catches Albania Muslims Off Guard". 22 November 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  2. ^ Nadia Pantel (January 2, 2015). "Balancieren in Tirana". jetzt.de – Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Turkey's mosque project in Albania on schedule, says engineer". Hurriyet. March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Mosqued objectives:Turkey is sponsoring Islam abroad to extend its prestige and power". Economist. Retrieved 23 January 2016."
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