The City of Tirana is pleased to announce the international design competition for a new Cultural Complex in Tirana consisting of a new mosque and a joined museum of Tirana and religious harmony.
Geographically speaking Tirana is known as the capital city of Albania. While in the art, architecture and urban oriented milieus Tirana, throughout the last decade, is widely known as the city of colors and international competitions. During the past 6 years, Municipality of Tirana has initiated several competitions of urban planning for the development of significant areas in the city, competitions of architectural and urban design for landmark buildings and of important public spaces. The latest international competition aimed the rehabilitation of Tirana’s main square, Scanderbeg Square, where the history of the Albanian state – not yet 100 years old – was written. It is a fact already that these competitions have attracted many talented and well known architects in Europe and worldwide.
The religious practices of the people living within the borders of Albania are heterogeneous. There are Muslims – which constitutes the majority – and Christians, each with their diverse communities of distinguished religious practices like: Bektashi, Halevy, Catholics, Orthodox, etc. It is very particular of Albania that these diverse religious communities have lived harmoniously and very close to each-other in centuries.
The motivation of the current competition comes due to the situation of the Muslim Community in Tirana in the absence of a new mosque to fulfill needs of Muslim citizens wanting to participate in the city mosques life.
Tirana needs a new mosque, not only for the Muslim Community, not only to fulfill the growing needs of an increasing number of Muslim citizens that are served today by a modest network of mosques, but also because our capital should fill in a missing corner of the triangle that makes Tirana a unique place, the triangle of religious harmony among three main religions, that since ever have been points of reference and have mainly mirrored the local tradition of Tirana citizens of solidarity and mutual respect. While the other two religious communities have already received their contemplation places, today, under such conditions, Muslim community lacks its own space.
The urgency of this competition is put forward to complete the religious triangle enveloping the city center, where a New Mosque will be finally build after the Catholic and the Orthodox cathedrals.
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