Tirana

Tirana and its surroundings are home to nearly a million people, about a third of Albania’s population. The city is part of a large metropolitan area that also includes the port city of Durrës to the west and the ancient capital city of Krujë to the north. However, Tirana is not as old as other cities in Albania. It became an important urban center only about 200 years ago, when a local Turkish ruler established it as a trading post some distance from Durrës. With the declaration of Albanian independence, the first capital was in Vlorë (1905), but in the 1920s the capital was moved to Tirana. Today, it is a bustling city and the center of Albanian business and public life.

In the center of Tirana is a large plaza—Independence Square—surrounded by public buildings such as the National Museum, the theater, and a large mosque. Many buildings in Tirana were constructed by the Italians who ruled the country during the 1930s and 1940s, and feature a distinct neoclassical Italian architectural style. A wide avenue runs south from the central square, along which one can find the university buildings and various government institutions. Not far from there is the city’s main market.

The city’s key landmarks include the Skanderbeg Monument in Independence Square, the Et’hem Bey Mosque—famous for its beautiful interior paintings—the historic clock tower, the central park, the National Theater, and the National Museum.

The National Museum of Albania houses important artifacts from various periods of Albanian history, from the Illyrian kingdoms through the Ottoman period. A notable section of the museum is dedicated to the victims of communist rule. For over 40 years, Albania was ruled by a totalitarian dictator, Enver Hoxha, who attempted to impose a version of communism similar to that of North Korea. Many people were executed, imprisoned, or tortured under his regime, and the memorial hall in the museum preserves their stories.

Bektashi World Center in Tirana
The world center of the Bektashi Order is located in Albania’s capital, Tirana, on a hill overlooking the city from the west. Inside the fenced compound are several buildings, the main one being a magnificent house, at the heart of which lies a large, slightly surreal circular hall. The visitor is immediately confronted by two giant statues of Ali and Haji Bektash, towering above. Nearby is a museum display featuring dervish artifacts and images of the Holy Family and various dedes. (In the Bektashi Order, Baba refers to a priest or monk, while Dede is the title for the head of the order.)

A door from the central hall leads into a meeting room decorated with remarkable imagery.

One striking picture shows a strange, bearded man dressed as a dervish, surrounded by forest animals that appear to be under his spell. This man is Koygkuz Abdal, one of the most famous Bektashi poets. The animals represent his nafs, the animalistic desires within him, which he has learned to master. But the picture also refers to a deeper story about transformation and surrender.

Koygkuz was once a hunter who shot an arrow at a deer in the forest. The wounded deer fled to a nearby tekke, and Koygkuz followed. When he knocked on the door, the head of the tekke opened it.

“What are you looking for?” the Baba asked.
“The deer I shot with an arrow,” Koygkuz replied.
“You mean this arrow?” said the Baba, pulling back the flap of his coat to reveal an arrow embedded in his heart.

Koygkuz fainted on the spot. When he awoke, he joined the tekke and eventually became one of the most beloved poets in the Bektashi tradition. Later, an important tekke was founded in his name in Cairo.

Other images in the hall depict the Holy Family—Ali, Hussein, and the Twelve Imams. One picture shows five central figures: Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan, and Hussein. There are also powerful and emotional paintings portraying scenes from the Battle of Karbala. In one, a blonde woman bows before a wounded horse that has returned to the tent without its rider. In the distance, an army of cavalry approaches. The image radiates deep sorrow.

The story behind it: before the battle, Hussein’s wife asked what would become of her if he were to fall. Hussein replied that his horse would return to her before the murderers and rapists could arrive. The woman in the image bows her head not out of fear for herself, but in mourning—the horse has come alone, and she understands that her beloved Imam, her husband, is gone. This image captures an eternal moment of sadness, just before the horrors to follow. It is as if someone has paused a tragic war film at its most haunting moment.

It is important to remember that images and statues are typically forbidden in mainstream Islam—but in Bektashi teaching, they are accepted and serve as tools of spiritual transmission.

In addition to the Bektashi Tekke, Tirana is also home to a large center of the Ahmadiyya movement (a form of Indian Sufism), located in the prominent Baitul Awwal Mosque. The city also hosts other Islamic and Sufi institutions. In the heart of Tirana stands an ancient tekke of the Qadiri Order, called Sheh Dyrri, which is recognized as an Albanian cultural monument.