After deep restoration work, Tirana’s oldest mosque is set to reopen its doors.

For about three years, the details of this place of worship built during the Ottoman era in 1820 were subjected to a delicate restoration process for the conservation of its murals.

Restaurateur Adrian Çene said that an intervention was required in order to “revive the florals hidden beneath piles of dust”.

Floral artwork is present throughout the mosque, a form of art that is not seen in any other mosque in the country.

“It is one of the most special mosques because it is all painted with murals and covered in florals and images illustrating parts of the Koran on heaven, or Jannah”, explains Çene.

The entire restoration process was conducted with utmost prudence in order to preserve the identity and the authenticity of the artwork found inside the premises of the mosque.

Et’hem Bey Mosque in Tirana by Euronews Balkans