King Mosque, Berat, Mosque in Berat, Albania
The King Mosque is a prayer house with Ottoman architecture in Berat's old town, identified by a white minaret and a central prayer hall with an elaborately decorated ceiling. The interior features geometric rosette patterns and calligraphic work covering the upper surfaces.
Sultan Bayezid II ordered its construction in 1492 during the Ottoman control of the Balkan region. This period established the religious character of Berat that persists to this day.
A frieze below the ceiling carries the 99 Names of Allah, and rosettes at the centre of the ceiling bear inscriptions of Quranic sayings. The wide two-storey gallery on the north side, supported by two wooden columns, was built for women worshippers.
Remove your shoes before entering the prayer hall, and women should cover their hair. Headscarves are available at the entrance if you need one.
The portico is newer than the prayer hall: Usta Dush Barka built it at the end of the 18th century, and it holds a second mihrab in its north wall so that overflow worshippers could pray outside the hall. Its arcade rests on stone columns.
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