Sulejman Pasha Mosque

This article is about the former mosque in Tirana. For the adjacent former tomb, see Sulejman Pasha Tomb.

For the similarly-named mosque in Cairo, Egypt, see Sulayman Pasha Mosque.

The Sulejman Pasha Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Sulejman Pashës), also known as the Old Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Vjetër), was the first mosque in the city of Tirana, in Tirana County, Albania. Completed in 1614 CE during the Ottoman era, the mosque was partially destroyed in November 1944, during World War II, and razed the following year during the Communist rule of Enver Hoxha.

Sulejman Pasha Mosque
Xhamia e Sulejman Pashës
The former mosque in 1914, 300 years after its construction
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam (former)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque (1614–1944)
Status	Destroyed
Location
Location	Tirana, Tirana County
Country	Albania
Location of the former mosque in Albania
Geographic coordinates	41°19′42″N 19°49′19″E
Architecture
Type	Islamic architecture
Founder	Sulejman Bargjini
Completed	1614 CE
Destroyed	1945 (under Communist rule)
Minaret	1

The former mosque, together with a hammam and a bakery, were founded by Pasha Sulejman Bargjini, with the mosque named in his honour. The city developed in the surrounding streets. In the mid-20th century, the mosque and surrounding streets were razed to make space for the Communist-era Statue of the Unknown Soldier, completed in 1949.

History

Built in 1614, it was the oldest mosque of the city of Tirana and was one of the oldest mosques in Albania. The Ottoman general and ethnic Albanian, Sulejman Bargjini had fought for the Ottomans against the Safavids in Persia (Iran).^[1]

Because of its beautiful minaret and its frescoe paintings, the Old Mosque stood in rivalry with the Et'hem Bey Mosque, founded by Sulejman Bargjini's descendant, Molla Bey of Petrela, in 1793 and finished by his son Haxhi Etëhem Bey Mollaj. Next to the Sulejman Pasha Mosque was the Tomb of Sulejman Pasha. The Kapllan Pasha Tomb is in the same neighbourhood.

The mosque was partially destroyed in November 1944, during the Second World War.^[2] Despite funds collected by the people of Tirana to rebuild the mosque, its remains and its minaret which still stood were destroyed in 1945 by the Communist government under Enver Hoxha who also destroyed the Dine Hoxha mosque in Tirana. The monument of the "Unknown Soldier" (Albanian: Ushtari i panjohur) was constructed on its site in 1949.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  A 1939 postcard of the former mosque and former tomb

See also

• Islam portal

• Islam in Albania
• List of mosques in Albania