President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Tirana, Albania, on Thursday will inaugarate the Namazgah Mosque, the largest in the Balkans.
Built in Ottoman style with four 35-metre minarets, construction of the mosque began in 2015. The complex includes a cultural center, library, exhibition hall, conference room, “museum of coexistence” and a Quran school.
The 30-million-euro mosque was mainly financed by Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs ‘Diyanet’. It has enough room for 5,000 people to pray at a time in an area of 20,000 square meters.
Erdogan: Mosque is a unique symbol of brotherhood
The Turkish president attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tirana mosque in 2015, calling it a “unique symbol of brotherhood between our nations.” The mosque may be located in Albania, but architecturally it resembles those in Istanbul.
The US Department of State says that, according to the most recent census, Sunni Muslims constitute nearly 57 percent of the population, Roman Catholics 10 percent, members of the AOC 7 percent, and members of the Bektashi Order 2 percent.
There has been some uncertainty over the appointment of the mosque’s leadership, with Turkish Imam Enes Bastur claiming that he had been assigned by Turkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs to lead the Namazgah Mosque. However, the Albanian Muslim Community has not confirmed the appointment.
Albania’s plan for a Muslim equivalent of Vatican City
Erdogan’s visit comes amid reports of controversy over Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s plan to establish a sovereign Bektashi state, a Muslim state along the lines of the Vatican City in Rome, which has faced criticism from Turkish Bektashi leaders.
The so-called “Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order” will become the world’s smallest state, just a quarter of the size of Vatican City. The 10-hectare patch of land will have its own administration, passports, and borders.
Turkey-Albania strengthen relations
During his stay, Erdogan will meet his Albanian counterpart Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Rama. He will also meet Edmond Brahimaj, known as Baba Mondi, the global leader of the Bektashi sect, a prominent Sufi order known for its Shia orientation.
When he hosted AEdi Rama in February, Erdogan pointed out that Turkey was among the five largest foreign investors in Albania with $3.5 billion (3.2 billion euros) committed there. More than 600 Turkish companies employ more than 15,000 Albanian workers, he added.
The two NATO member countries also cooperate in the military field. Tirana’s military arsenal includes Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which arrived earlier this year.