The Lead Mosque (), also known as the Buşatlı Mehmet Pasha Mosque ''(Xhamia e Mehmet Bushatit)'', is a historical

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

, northwestern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. It took the name ''Lead Mosque'', because all of its

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

s were covered with

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

History

The Lead Mosque was built in 1773 by the

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

Mehmed Bushati Mehmed Bushati () was the governor of the Pashalik of Scutari and founder of the Bushati family, Bushatli dynasty of Shkodër History Sanjak of Scutari In 1768, Mehmed Pasha became the governor of the pashalik of Scutari. In 1769, he fought in ...

of the noble Bushati family, who was

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

Pashalik of Scutari The Pashalik of Scutari (1757–1831), also known as the Bushati Pashalik, was an Albanian pashalik within the Ottoman Empire that was ruled by the Bushati family. Its capital was Shkodër and ruled areas in modern-day Albania and large majorit ...

at the time. Through this act, he intended to give his city of birth, the feeling of the capital. It is said that the mosque's edifice was built on land owned by the catholic church. Mehmed Bushati was personally involved with the construction and stones were incised under his patronage. Almost every day, he stepped down from his residence, the

Rozafa Castle Rozafa Castle () or Shkodër Castle () is a castle near the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It rises imposingly on a rocky hill, above sea level, surrounded by the Buna and Drin rivers. Shkodër is the seat of Shkodër County, and i ...

, to follow the progress of the works. The first

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

of the mosque was Haxhi Ahmet Misria, who was of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian origin. He came to Albania after the contacts he had with Mehmed Bushati. After him, other Imams served and also took care of the mosque.

Damages

During the 1900s, the mosque begun to be damaged and the lead that covered the cupolas was gradually stolen. In 1916, the remaining lead was removed by the Austrian army during the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n rule in Albania. In 1967, lightning destroyed its

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, which had been previously reconstructed in 1920 by ''Xhelal Bushati'', descendant of Mehmed Bushati.

State atheism

In 1967, Lead Mosque was closed down, just like the other religious institutions, after the

anti-religious Antireligion is opposition to religion or traditional religious beliefs and practices. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe oppos ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

leader

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

declared Albania an

atheist state State atheism or atheist state is the incorporation of hard atheism or non-theism into Forms of government, political regimes. It is considered the opposite of theocracy and may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments ...

. Unlike many mosques that were destroyed during this time, it survived from the communist regime, probably because it was declared a ''Cultural Monument'' in 1948.

Post-Communism

On 16 November 1990, the Lead Mosque preceded other mosques in Albania to reopen when religion was again allowed in the country. The very first religious rally was held in this mosque by Hafiz Sabri Koçi, after 23 years of state atheism.

Construction

The Lead Mosque has an

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

, unlike most other mosques in Albania which follow Arab architecture. The mosque closely mirrors the

classical Ottoman architecture Classical Ottoman architecture is a period in Ottoman architecture generally including the 16th and 17th centuries. The period is most strongly associated with the works of Mimar Sinan, who was Chief Court Architect under three sultans between 153 ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, which was pioneered by architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...

of the 16th century. The mosque is built with hewn stones of almost the same size, which creates a pleasant construction symmetry. Stones were brought from the nearby village of Gur i Zi by people who aligned to each other over kilometers passing the stones to reach the construction point.

Restoration

Flood damage in rainy seasons have resulted in damage to the Lead Mosque over time. The mosque has been repaired numerous times during its lifetime: in 1863, 1920 and in 1963. On 15 July 2021, the Albanian and Turkish governments funded restoration of the mosque.

Gallery

Albania Lead Mosque 01.JPG Albania Lead Mosque 02.JPG 2013-10-03 Lead Mosque, Shkodër 0367.jpg, View from Rozafa Castle Albania Lead Mosque 04.JPG Lead Mosque, Shkodër.jpg

References

External links

Lead Mosque
at Shkodër.net {{Religious Cultural Monuments in Shkodër County Ottoman mosques in Albania Religious buildings and structures completed in 1773 Tourist attractions in Shkodër Cultural Monuments of Albania Mosques completed in the 1770s Tourist attractions in Shkodër County Mosques in Shkodër Pashalik of Scutari