Lead Mosque, Shkodër, Ottoman mosque in Shkodër, Albania.
The Lead Mosque at the base of Rozafa Castle features a main dome and smaller cupolas covered with lead plates on its exterior. The structure incorporates local materials and displays typical religious architecture of the 1700s.
The structure was commissioned in 1773 by Mehmed Pasha Bushatli, the Ottoman governor of Shkodër, underscoring his influence in the region. It survived Albania's atheist period from 1967 to 1990 and became the first to reopen for prayer.
The mosque reflects a blend of Ottoman design with local Albanian building methods, incorporating stones from the village of Gur i Zi. This combination shows how foreign architectural styles took root in the region.
Following extensive renovations supported by Kuwaiti donors, the mosque reopened in 2016 after years without visitors and prayers. Its location near Rozafa Castle makes it convenient to visit while exploring the old town.
The lead covering on the cupolas is unusual and gave the building its name, a rare feature in Albanian religious architecture. This distinctive material choice sets it apart from other mosques in the region.
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