Xhamia e Gjirokastrës
Xhamia e Gjirokastrës stands in the centre of Gjirokastra’s old bazaar, within the historic heart of Albania’s stone city. Built on sloping ground, the mosque combines a high dome, preserved minaret and stone architecture with the surrounding museum quarter.
An inscription places its construction around 1754 or 1755, although the precise year remains debated. Known also as the Memi Bey Mosque, it became a cultural monument in 1973 and survived the communist destruction of many religious buildings. Its dome later accommodated circus acrobats, while the building also housed a tailoring workshop. A fire destroyed much of the bazaar, but local families and shopkeepers, including the Skëndulat family, helped rebuild the mosque.
Restoration has sought to retain its original form, although specialists have questioned the roof materials and mortar. Lear included the mosque in sketches made during his travels through southern Albania, and the lower section once served shops and pedestrians crossing the bazaar.
- City
- Gjirokastra
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