A historic Ottoman-era mansion in central Tirana will be converted into Albania’s first Museum of Islamic Art and Heritage, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Thursday, calling it a long-overdue addition to the capital’s cultural institutions.
The Sarajet e Toptanëve, regarded as one of Tirana’s architectural landmarks, will undergo full restoration and serve as the museum’s core, with a new contemporary wing added to complement the historic structure, Rama said at the launch event.
“This project is an added value for the capital and a vital testimony that fills a long-standing gap in the interpretation and preservation of Albania’s Islamic cultural heritage,” Rama said.
The museum will join the National Theatre and National Gallery as part of what the prime minister called a “necklace of art” in the city centre.
Rama said the project was the result of cooperation between curators, the architect, the Municipality of Tirana and the Ministry of Culture, and would highlight the links between Islamic culture and Europe’s wider Mediterranean heritage.
Although modest in scale compared with major international museums, the institution was necessary to affirm a “vital truth” that Islamic art and culture are not foreign to Europe but an integral part of its history, Rama added.