Red Mosque

The Red Mosque, described by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi as an old, lonely and strange building, is located near the walls of the acropolis in the Berat fortress and is preserved today in a state of ruins. It consists of a prayer hall and a porch, while the five-sided minaret, built with the cloisonné technique, is the best preserved part and of high architectural value. Its dating remains debatable: some scholars associate it with the end of the 14th century during the reign of Sultan Bayezid I, while others, such as the historian M. Kiel and the architect A. Meksi, place it after the Ottoman conquest of Berat in 1417. Despite the debates, this mosque remains one of the earliest Islamic buildings in the city.