WORLD HEADQUARTERS OF BEKTASHISM
Headquarters of the Bektashi Sufi brotherhood, with some 7 million followers worldwide. Museum under the great tekke.
This 6-hectare religious complex (Kryegjyshata Boterore Bektashiane) is a real sight to behold. Founded in 1930, closed during the atheist campaign of 1967 and rebuilt in 2011, it is the center of Bektashism, the most tolerant current of Islam, considered a religion in its own right by the Albanian state. This Sufi brotherhood claims 7 million followers worldwide, including around 300,000 in Albania. This is the residence of the movement's world leader since 1992, the dedebaba Haji Edmond Brahimaj Mondi, known as Baba Mondi, born in 1959 in Vlora. The complex opens with a powerful ashlar gate dating from the 1930s. We then discover the dedebaba's residence, an Italian-influenced building completed in 1941, followed by two tekkés, the Sufi places of worship. Near the small tekké are the mausoleums of various dedebabas and a vast garden. Above all, there's the grand tekké. Inaugurated in 2015, it is topped by a 30 m-high dome. Its basement houses the Bektash Museum. The exhibition retraces the history of the brotherhood from its origins in the 13th century. Also on display are Bektashis who left their mark on Albania, in particular the Frashëri brothers who were responsible for the country's independence in 1912, dervish and baba outfits, and the brotherhood's four sacred books: the Koran, the Torah, theInjil (New Testament) and the Zabur (Book of Psalms).
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