The Lead Mosque (; ), also known as the Izgurli Mosque, is a mosque located in the city of Berat, in the Berat County, south-central Albania. The mosque is named from the lead coating of its sphere-shaped domes. It was designated as a Cultural Monument of Albania and forms part of the Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastër, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
Historic overview
The mosque was completed in by Ahmet Bej Uzgurliu, a local nobleman, at the time a vassal hailing from the Skuraj family. Explorer Evliya Çelebi’s description told of carved stones underneath the lead, topping off a complex including a bazaar, madrasa, imaret, school, hammam (bathhouse) , and shadirvan. The prayer hall is square with a northern portico and a tall, thin minaret molded in cloisonné where it meets the roof. Many windows light the interior.
The Uzgurli mosque was restored in 2014 by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) during which the minaret balconry (sherefeja) changed slightly and got modernized a bit.
See also
Islam in Albania List of mosques in Albania
References
Further reading
External links