Zall Tekke
The Zall Tekke (Albanian: Teqeja e Zallit) or Asim Baba Tekke (Turkish: Âsım Baba Tekkesi) is a Bektashi teqe in Gjirokastër, Albania. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania.[1]
| Zall Tekke | |
|---|---|
| Native name Albanian: Teqeja e Zallit | |
Backside of the Tekke with green dome | |
| Location | Gjirokastër |
| Built | 1780 |
History
Seyyid Muhammed Asim Baba of Üsküdar (Istanbul) founded the tekke in 1780. It is also known as the Teqeja e Zallit (Gravel Tekke) or as the "Tekke of Pebbles" due to its location at the side of a river bed that is usually dry.[2]
The tekke was administered by the following babas.[2]
- Asim Baba from 1780 to 1796
- Hasan Baba Turku from 1796 to 1798
- Sulejman Baba of Gjirokastra from 1798 to 1806
- Ali Baba Gega from 1806 to 1830
- Haxhi Jahja Baba of Kruja from 1830 to 1836
- Ibrahim Baba Turku from 1836 to 1846
- Hysejn Baba Elbasani from 1845 to 1861
- Ali Haqi Baba of Elbasan from 1861 to 1907
- Selim Ruhi Baba of Elbasan from 1907 to 1944
The tekke also hosted a library with books and manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and later also Albanian. For 3 years during the Balkan Wars and also during World War I, Greek soldiers were stationed at the tekke, which did not have any babas and dervishes at the time due to the wars. The baba and dervishes later returned, and the tekke was restored in 1916.[2]
References
- ^ "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Cult. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c Elsie, Robert (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78831-569-2. OCLC 1108619669.