Mount Tomorr

Tomorr is a long limestone ridge rising to 2,416 metres east of Berat, standing well clear of the surrounding country so that it dominates the view from the town and a long way beyond, and it has been a sacred mountain for a very long time, associated in antiquity with a mountain deity and now with the Bektashi order, a Sufi tradition with a strong presence in Albania. A tekke and the tomb of Abbas ibn Ali stand near the summit, and each August a pilgrimage brings very large numbers of people up the mountain for several days, with animals sacrificed and camps on the high ground. Outside that period the mountain is empty, with a national park, beech forest on the flanks and open karst above.

What you actually see

• A 2,416-metre ridge above Berat - dominating the country around it.
• The summit tekke and tomb - the Bektashi shrine near the top.
• The August pilgrimage - several days of gathering on the mountain.
• Beech forest and open karst - the flanks and the plateau above.

When to go

June to September; the summit road is impassable in snow. A day, or overnight. The pilgrimage falls in late August and is the one time the mountain is crowded. Outside it there is almost nobody.

Honest expectations

The summit road is rough and requires a capable vehicle. The pilgrimage is a religious observance with animal sacrifice and is not a spectacle for visitors; attend respectfully or avoid it. There are no facilities outside the pilgrimage days. Weather changes fast.

Nearby

Berat is west; Osumi canyon lies south.