Tirana, Hadji Edhem Beg Mosque Wall Paintings

Abstract

In the various structures in Albania, which remained under Ottoman rule for approximately five centuries, the influence of architecture and decoration originating from the capital city of Istanbul can be felt to a great extent. The structures built by the notables who gained power in the late 18th and early 19th centuries especially reflect the style of the capital in terms of architectural features and decoration programs. In contrast, Ottoman wall paintings followed a different development course in terms of style in the capital and other regions. Wall paintings in Anatolia and the Balkans are a continuation of the miniature style, even if the rules of perspective and light shadow are followed. For this reason, transitional period features prevail in these regions. Wall paintings, which are mostly seen in architectural works in Anatolia and the Balkans, starting from Istanbul, were not limited to civil architecture examples but also found in religious structures.

In the study, where the Ottoman mural was discussed specifically in the Hadji Edhem Beg Mosque in Tirana, the capital of Albania, the relationship between the murals and the geography where the building is located, Balkan culture, and the capital Istanbul was examined. Hadji Edhem Beg Mosque is one of the structures that stands out with the wall paintings that adorn the interior and the narthex, rather than its architectural qualities. The paintings, completed in 1822- 23, depict mostly civil structures and, to a lesser extent, religious structures such as mosques. Although these decoration, attributed to artists from the villages of Albano-Valachia and Zaim Kurti and his team, have a common theme, there is a difference in style between the paintings of the interior and the narthex. While the interior wall paintings remain faithful to the miniature style, the narthex paintings take a step closer to the Western painting without breaking away from their traditional identity.

The mosque depicted in the composition on the eastern wall of the narthex, with its monumental dimensions, regular use of cut stone, four-unit narthex, numerous windows opening on the tambour of the dome, flat dome, and double minarets, departs from the mosque typology common in Albania and resembles the classical period Istanbul examples. The fact that the classical period mosque model representing Istanbul is depicted in Tirana, a distant corner of the empire, points to the decisive role of the capital in the decorative repertoire of the building.

Citation: Ateş Özkan, Aysu (2025). “Tirana, Hadji Edhem Beg Mosque Wall Paintings”, Erdem, December, Issue:89, pp. 39-72