Gjirokastër

Gjirokastra and Melan Tekke

Gjirokastra is called the city of a thousand steps, and that is exactly what it is—there are many steps leading to the impressive fortress at the top of the mountain, which was built in the 12th century. The city was part of the Byzantine Kingdom of Epirus in the 14th century and was rebuilt by Ali Pasha, the ruler of Epirus and Ioannina, at the end of the 18th century. During the reigns of Enver Hoxha and King Zog, the fortress housed political prisoners. Today, it contains the National Weapons Museum.

Gjirokastra has preserved its ancient character and was therefore declared a World Heritage Site. It has a 17th-century bazaar and hundreds of characteristic houses from the Ottoman period. On the outskirts of the city, under tall cypresses, there is an ancient tekke of the Bektashi Order from the early 18th century called Melan Tekke.

The Tekke of Melan is one of the only tekkes in the Balkans that has remained intact from the Ottoman period and is considered particularly sacred. Its architecture is unique and expresses the Bektashi belief in the Trinity: Allah, Muhammad, and Ali, as well as the 12 Imams. The tekke appears on the cover of the only explanatory book published on the Bektashi order in English, called The Bektashi Dervishes. To reach it, one must drive along dirt roads to the top of a hill overlooking the valley.

The tekke can be compared to a monastery. A series of mysterious doorways lead into the interior of the building, to the ancient meydan (meeting room). I have never seen a room designed in such a strange way. No one knows for sure what the Bektashi do inside their meydan, and outsiders are usually not allowed inside. The atmosphere in the room is electrifying.