Et'hem Bey Mosque

The Et'hem Bey mosque stands on Skanderbeg Square in the middle of Tirana, begun in the 1790s and finished around 1821, a small building by the standards of the square around it, and its distinction is the painting: the porch and the interior carry frescoes of trees, waterfalls, bridges and buildings, landscape subjects that are unusual in a mosque and are thought to reflect Bektashi influence, painted in soft colours over the walls and the dome. It was closed under the twentieth-century ban on religion and its reopening in 1991, when thousands entered without official permission, was a turning point. A long restoration completed recently has cleaned the paintings. The clock tower next door can be climbed.

What you actually see

• Landscape frescoes - trees, waterfalls and bridges painted inside and on the porch.
• A small mosque on a large square - the scale against modern Tirana.
• The 1991 reopening story - the crowd that entered without permission.
• The clock tower next door - climbable, with a view over the square.

When to go

Year round. One hour. It closes to visitors at prayer times, especially Friday midday. Modest dress and shoes off; scarves are provided. Mornings are quietest.

Honest expectations

It is small and twenty minutes covers it. Access is refused during prayers and can be limited by the number of visitors. Photography inside is sometimes restricted. The square outside is a large open space with little shade.

Nearby

Skanderbeg Square surrounds it; the Tanners Bridge is a short walk east.