Halveti Tekke, Berat

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Halveti Tekke
Teqeja e Helvetive
Halveti Teqe Berat.jpg
The tekke exterior, in 2010
Religion
Affiliation Sunni Islam
Sect Sufism
Rite Khalwati order
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Tekke
StatusActive
Location
Location Berat
Country Albania
Albania relief location map.svg
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Location of the tekke in Albania
Halveti Tekke, Berat
Geographic coordinates 40°42′22″N19°57′09″E / 40.7060°N 19.9525°E / 40.7060; 19.9525
Architecture
Architect(s) Ahmet Kurt Pasha
Type Islamic architecture
Style Ottoman
Completed1782 CE
Minaret(s)1
Official nameHalveti Tekke
Reference no.BR448

The Halveti Tekke (Albanian : Teqeja e Helvetive) is a tekke, located in Berat, Albania. Completed in 1782 CE, the tekke was designated as a Cultural Monument of Albania.[ when? ] [1]

Contents

Overview

The teqe ( cemevi in Turkish) was built in 1782 by Ahmet Kurt Pasha and pertained to the Khalwati order, a Sufi sect. [2]

The tekke is composed of a prayer hall with a square plan, a small ambience for special religious services, and a gracious portico in front of the entrance to the prayer hall. In the prayer hall is a mafil carved in wood and decorated. On the eastern side of the prayer hall is the mihrab decorated with stone stalactites. The inner walls have been decorated with eight frescoes, depicting dwelling houses, Muslim religious buildings, and landscapes. [3]

The walls below the frescoes are covered by holes that improve the acoustics in the prayer hall. The ceiling of the prayer hall is made of wood and is decorated with paintings. The ceiling has been decorated in the Baroque style adopted in Islamic art and is covered with 14-carat gold plates. The inner decorations were carried out by Master Dush Barka. Attached to the prayer hall is a room in which once was the mausoleum of Ahmet Kurt Pasha and his son. [4]

Detail of the tekke interior Detaj nga tavani i Teqes Helvetive.jpg
Detail of the tekke interior

The portico of the tekke has five stone columns which were taken from the Ancient Greek city of Apollonia. Above the main door in the portico is an inscription dedicated to the values of the tekke and to Ahmet Kurt Pasha. Monuments dating to the late Ottoman period from the Albanian Vrioni family exist such as the gate to a former palace and a tomb, other monuments are from the Vlora family. [4]

See also

References

  1. "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Culture. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  2. "Teqja e Helvetive" (in Albanian). Retrieved November 6, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "The Halveti Tekke". Into Albania. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Kiel, Machiel (1990). Ottoman architecture in Albania, 1385-1912. Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. p. 52. ISBN   978-92-9063-330-3.
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