There are two impressive mosques to track down in Durres, as Albania’s relationship with religion was disrupted during communist times, and each place of worship has its own story.
The Great Mosque is the younger of the two structures, having been built in 1931 by King Zog I on the site of an earlier Ottoman building. After 1967 its minaret was destroyed and the building was used centre for local youth organisations.
Smaller and much older is the Fatih Mosque, which dates to 1503 in the first decades of Ottoman rule. This was also closed down during communism but was declared an Albanian cultural monument in the 70s.
