Lead Mosque, Berat Explained

Lead Mosque
Native Name:Xhamia e Plumbit
Native Language:sq
Designation1:Cultural Monument of Albania
Location:Berat
Coordinates:40.7045°N 19.9554°W

The Lead Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Plumbit, Turkish: Kurşun Camii), also known as the Izgurli Mosque, is a 16th-century historical mosque located in Berat, south-central Albania.[1]

Its name comes from the lead coating of its sphere-shaped domes.[1] It was built in the years of 1553 and 1554 by the local feudal Ahmet Bej Uzgurliu, at the time a vassal of the Skuraj family,[2] and is currently a Cultural Monument of Albania. Explorer Evliya Çelebi’s description told of carved stones underneath the lead, topping off a complex including a bazaar, madrasa, imaret, school, Turkish bath, and shadirvan. The prayer hall is square with a northern portico and a tall, thin minaret molded in cloisonné where it meets the roof. Many windows light the interior.

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Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Garwood, Duncan. Mediterranean Europe. 2009. Lonely Planet. 978-1-74104-856-8. 60. 23 July 2010.
  2. Vehbiu . Ardian . PLLAKA E SKURËS . Peizazhe të Fjalës . October 5, 2015 . 18 September 2020.