The 18th century Lead Mosque in the north-western Albanian city of Shkodra will be restored back to the Muslim believers as a religious temple that meets optimum conditions. A project on revitalization of this unique mosque in Shkodra, one of the most prominent cultural and religious monuments in the country, envisages not only the site’s complete restoration, but also transformation of the surrounding area. After the restoration project, the mosque, designed and built by the great architect Mimar Sinan, will become another tourist attraction in the city.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Culture Elva Margaritit, today visited the Lead Mosque, where the restoration project commenced today.

“The team of experts has made a field trip to check the situation on the ground. The latest updates on the situation on the ground have been made. All the updates on the situation of the terrain have been drawn,” the Culture Minister Margariti said, adding that the centuries-long problem of constant floods in the area around the mosque has been reviewed. “A pretty elegant and somehow dynamic solution has been found and an aluminium movable partition will be installed here to serve as a sort of defence anytime the water level increases in the wake of torrential rains and it would prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters in the area. In addition to the mosque’s restoration, the project also includes the rehabilitation of the surrounding milieu. The most delicate part is that of exterior restoration, since the surrounding space poses the most serious challenge to the project. It won’t merely be a restoration project, but also rehabilitation project designed with the assistance of the experts of geology. It is the first time that a restoration project of this size is designed to include not only the monument. This is a rich and diverse area in elements of religious and cultural heritage. Another mosque is located close to this site and as such this represents a consolidated system for the faithful.”

Restoration of the religious sites – Prime Minister Rama went on saying – is a programme designed not just to restore these temples to their former glory and their values, but also to preserve the country’s cultural heritage and history. “It was a request I had made for several years now and it focuses on profound reconstruction of several mosques and religious sites, which are incredible monuments of culture too. And this is one of those monuments, which is finally undergoing restoration. The most problematic part had to do with the terrain, but a solution has been found to this issue and I am confident the result would be amazing. A proper solution will also be found about the mosque’s interior. What really is the value added of these interventions that some, unfortunately, are unable to realize or they don’t wish to realize, is that not only the religious community is the main beneficiary, when either a mosque or a church are restored, but the value added is the history for the younger generations, so that our children always see and are granted access to the whole treasury of our heritage, because in addition to being a religious site, this is also history and culture.”