MOUNT TOMORR NATIONAL PARK

This park (Parku Kombëtar Mali i Tomorrit) occupies a special place in Albanian beliefs, hosting the most important pilgrimage of the country. Created in 1956, it covers an area of 261 km2 through the chain of Tomorr which extends 19 km from north to south between the rivers Osum (west) and Tomorrica (east). The massif owes its name to Mount Tomorr. This one reaches 2 382 m of altitude and it is accessible by a carriage road (28 km in the North-East of Poliçan via Bargullas). But the highest point of the massif is located 6 km further north. It is the peak of the Partisans (Çuka e Partizanit) which with 2 416 m of altitude constitutes also the highest point of central Albania. The park includes forests (beech, Bosnian pine, Byzantine hazelnut...) and a rich fauna (wolf, bear, wild boar, golden eagle, etc.). Hiking trails exist, but the marking is almost absent. However, one can easily reach the Bogova waterfall (Ujvara e Bogovës) on foot from the village of Bogova (11 km south-east of Poliçan). A tributary of the Osum, the Bogova ("divine" in Slavic) makes here a series of jumps over 20 m high in a rocky well before falling into blue waters 12 m deep. Very nice. But it is not the most frequented site of the park.

Folklore and pilgrimages. It is Mount Tomorr that has fascinated the inhabitants for thousands of years. According to a tradition dating back to the Illyrians, this mountain is embodied by Baba Tomor ("Father Tomor"), an old bearded man accompanied by four female eagles, who fights against the evil spirits that lurk in the country. Mount Tomorr is also an important place of pilgrimage for the bektashis. Since 1929, devotees from all over the world make the ascent on August 20 and 25. According to the brotherhood, the ashes of Abbas ibn Ali were brought here after his death at the battle of Kerbala (Iraq) in 680. Abbas ibn Ali (Baba Abaz Ali in Albanian) is the son of Ali, the first Imam of the Shiites, uncle of the Prophet Muhammad and the most revered figure of the Bektashis. In normal times, about 200,000 people flock to the tekké Baba Abaz Ali built at an altitude of 1,500 m, before reaching the mausoleum located on top of Mount Tomorr. Those who come a little early can meet other pilgrims. Because the Orthodox Albanians also gather at Mount Tomorr on August 15 for the feast of the dormition of the Mother of God. The rest of the time, it is quieter.