Mirahori Mosque Explained

Iljaz Mirahori Mosque
Native Name:Xhamia e Iljaz Mirahorit
Native Language:sq
Designation1:Cultural Monument of Albania
Location:Korçë

Iljaz Mirahori Mosque is a historic mosque in Korçë, Albania.

History

The mosque was built in 1494 and finished in 1496 by Iljaz Hoxha (also known as Iljaz Bey Mirahori), who was a veteran of the Istanbul Conquest and the city-founder of Korçë.[1] According to the writer Sami Frashëri, it was built on the foundations of an existing monastery, then called dedicated to Saint Paraskevi (Kisha e Shën e Premtes).[2] With its minaret being torn down during the Communist dictatorship, the Iliaz Mirahor mosque was declared a religious Cultural Monument of Albania.[3] After the end of Communist rule in the 1990s, the minaret was not rebuilt until 2014 when it was reconstructed in a slightly different and more simple style compared to the original one. The Ottoman Clock Tower of Korçë in front of the mosque has also been rebuilt afterwards.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tours: Discover Albania . https://web.archive.org/web/20110903153644/http://www.albaniaexplorer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=78 . 3 September 2011 . 11 September 2010 . Albania Explorer.
  2. Web site: 29 February 2016 . Çfarë dihet për xhaminë e Mirahorit në Korçë? . https://web.archive.org/web/20170702064841/http://www.gazetadita.al/cfare-dihet-per-xhamine-e-mirahorit-ne-korce/ . 2 July 2017 . 20 October 2017 . Dita . sq.
  3. Web site: Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706071224/http://kshk.gov.al/index.php?fq=brenda&gj=gj2&kid=19 . 6 July 2011 . 28 October 2010 . Komiteti Shqiptar per Kultet.