The Old Mosque is located in the Old Bazaar of Gjirokastra, it is thought that this mosque was spared destruction by the communists in the late 1960s because of its status as a cultural monument. However, the other twelve of the thirteen extant mosques in Gjirokastra were destroyed during this period. Although spared from destruction, the mosque was used as a training hall for circus acrobats who made use of the high domed ceilings to hang their trapezes. The mosque returned back to the Muslim Community in 1991. The Ottoman Turkish writer Evliya Çelebi travelled extensively through the Ottoman empire and neighbouring countries from 1640 to 1676. In 1670 Evliya Çelebi travelled through southern Albania. Coming from the coast and Delvina, he first arrived in Gjirokastra, which he described in some detail: 'The Mosque of Memi Pasha, built in a rather narrow part of the new bazaar, is a small, modern and attractive building, holding no more than 100 men. It has a well proportioned minaret of carved and decorated stonework. It never lacks a congregation. The people in this part of Albania are quite addicted to prayer.'
The two octagonal-shaped (Turbas) on each side of the Mosque were used for teaching the Quran, one of them still not returned. The area underneath the entrance portico used to be occupied by shops. Money collected from the merchants was a source of income to support the maintenance of the mosque. The Bazaar Mosque had 25 shops in the bazaar, during the communist regime all of them were confiscated and most of them still not returned. The largest room inside the main door is used for prayer. The indentation in the opposite wall is the mihrab, where the imam stands oriented towards Mecca, the direction to which Muslims turn when they pray. The small staircase (Minbar) to the right of the imam's place is where he delivers his weekly message during the midday Friday prayers. The right side door is the woman's entrance and access to the minaret, which has 99 steps.

Type of Data Point - Publicly Available Information

Bazaar Mosque - Gjirokastra - Public Info

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Inserted: 17-04-2023 06:04:51