King's Mosque

The mosque consists of a prayer hall, an open portico, and a minaret. The portico is wider than the prayer hall and rests on stone columns – each section has its own carved wooden ceiling. Six windows on each of three walls provide generous natural light.

The interior's centerpiece is the painted wooden ceiling with geometric rosettes and calligraphic inscriptions of Quranic verses. Below the ceiling, a frieze runs the perimeter bearing the 99 names of Allah in decorative script. The end wall features the mihrab (prayer niche), with the minbar (pulpit) to the right. The women's gallery (mafil) on the upper level rests on wooden columns connected by decorative arches, with its own painted decorations in soft colors.

Directly behind the mosque is the Helveti Tekke, a Sufi prayer hall for the Khalwati order, rebuilt in 1782 by Ahmet Kurt Pasha. Its portico features columns repurposed from the ancient city of Apollonia. Inside are a gold-accented ceiling and a musicians' gallery that once accompanied dervish rituals. Fifty meters away stands a 19th-century Inn of the Dervishes with an upper-floor veranda.

Age – built in 1492, one of Albania's oldest mosques (over 530 years old)

99 names of Allah – calligraphic frieze running below the prayer hall ceiling

Painted ceiling – decorative rosettes with Quranic inscriptions and geometric motifs

Complex – together with the Helveti Tekke (1782) and the Inn of the Dervishes, it forms a rare ensemble of Islamic architecture

Apollonia columns – the tekke portico incorporates ancient columns from the Greek city of Apollonia

The mosque was built in 1492 by order of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512) for the local Albanian population of Berat. It was a gesture of goodwill and a mark of Ottoman presence in the city, which had entered the empire in 1417. The mosque became one of the first major Islamic structures in Berat and the center of religious life in the Mangalem quarter.

During the suppression of the Albanian revolt of 1830–1831, the mosque was almost completely destroyed by artillery under Ottoman commander Reshid Pasha. He then ordered its reconstruction following local architectural traditions. The result is one of Albania's largest mosques, with a portico larger than the prayer hall and a system of ten shallow domes. In 1948 the building received Cultural Monument status. Under the communist regime the mosque was closed (from 1967), but not demolished. After the regime fell in 1991, worship resumed. Today the mosque is active and open to visitors.

From central Berat:

From Boulevard Republika – a 5-minute uphill walk through Mangalem streets along Rruga Mihal Komnena. The mosque is in the medieval quarter, near the Bachelors' Mosque and Lead Mosque.

Landmark: Islamic complex with a minaret on the hillside, between the riverfront and the road to the castle. The Ethnographic Museum is 3 minutes further uphill.

From Tirana: bus or shared minibus (furgon) to Berat (2 hours, 400–500 ALL / ~$4–5), then walk or taxi to Mangalem.

Season: the mosque is accessible year-round. Most comfortable from April to October.

Time of day: morning or afternoon outside prayer times. The imam is more likely to be present and available for informal tours during daytime hours.

Duration: 15–20 minutes for the mosque, 30–40 minutes for the full complex (with the tekke and dervish inn).

Combine with: the Ethnographic Museum (3 min), Berat Castle (15 min uphill), a walk through the Old Town.