Unknown Soldier, War memorial in central Tirana, Albania.
The Unknown Soldier is a war memorial statue in central Tirana, near the Albanian parliament and the Tomb of Kapllan Pasha. The sculpture shows a soldier with a raised fist and a rifle, running forward. It stands where the 350-year-old Sulejman Pasha Mosque and the Suleyman Pasha Tomb once stood.
The statue was erected in 1967 on the site of the Sulejman Pasha Mosque and its tomb, both badly damaged in November 1944. The 350-year-old mosque, founded by Sulejman Bargjini, was demolished by the communist authorities to make way for the memorial.
The statue stands where the 350-year-old Sulejman Pasha Mosque and the Suleyman Pasha Tomb once stood; both were destroyed to clear the site. The mosque had been built by Sulejman Bargjini, the founder of the capital. The memorial was put up under the communist regime, and the soldier's raised fist and rifle carry that era's visual language.
The statue stands in the city centre near the Albanian parliament and the Tomb of Kapllan Pasha, so it is reached on foot from the surrounding central streets. It is an outdoor monument visible at any hour; allow a few minutes to walk around the sculpture and read its setting.
The statue stands where the 350-year-old Sulejman Pasha Mosque and the Suleyman Pasha Tomb once stood; both were demolished to clear the site. The mosque had been built by Sulejman Bargjini, the founder of Tirana. The monument was erected in 1967, and the soldier is shown with a raised fist and rifle, running forward.
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