Tekke of Melan
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The Tekke of Melan (Albanian: Teqeja e Milanit) is a khanqah (Albanian: tekke) and a famous pilgrimage site of the Bektashi Order of Sufism. It was built in 1800 in Libohovë, near Gjirokastër in southern Albania. The site lies on a hill overlooking the Dropull plain south of Gjirokastër, on the east side of the valley near the small village of Vlaho Goranxi.
History
In 1800, the tekke was most likely built to replace an earlier one by Baba Aliu, head of the Zall Tekke,[1] but some sources date it to 1870.[2] Baba Aliu's tomb is next to the main building. The courtyard is overgrown with cypress trees and includes an Ottoman shadirvan supplied with water by an aqueduct.[1] The extensive two-story main building includes a prayer hall and adjoining rooms where the Shi’a-influenced Bektashi dervishes pray, study, meditate, and listen to the babas’ sermons. Followers of the order gather for ceremonies as well as outdoor picnics on the grounds.[3]
The hill was home to
References
- ^ ISBN 978-99956-747-0-0. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d Çuni, Nuri (25 January 2012). "Teqeja e Melanit – perla bektashiane". Gazeta Republika. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84162-387-0.
- ^ Tole, Vasil S. "Monumentet kulturore dhe historike – Rrethi Gjirokastër". oocities.org. Retrieved 18 September 2020.