TEKKE OF FRASHËR
Permet, Cultural & Religiuos Site
TEKKE OF FRASHËR
The Tekke - which is the Albanian term for “shrine” - of Frashër is a cultural and historic monument well-known throughout Albania. It is situated in Frashër village. The shrine consists of two separate buildings which are connected by a wall. The top building forms the letter “L,” and has three spaces: the “Fireplace Cafe”, “Ashefi”, and “Bakery,” while the lower building is partly two-story and houses the Mejdani, the holy place where religious ceremonies took place and Bektashi schools (opened by Baba Nasibiu in years 1781-1785) taught Turkish, Persian, and possibly Arabic as a foreign language. The Tekke of Frashër was built in 1781 by Sulejman Beu of Frashër. This tekke served as a center for Albanian nationalism. The brothers Abdyl Naim and Sami Frasher, who are considered to be the founding fathers of Albania, received their first training in this Bektashi shrine. In this shrine on May 30, 1878 the significant meeting of the Albanian Committee of Janina was held. The shrine served as a meeting place during the entire time of the committee of Janina.
Now it is a place of pilgrimage among the local population. In 1909-1910 the place was used to teach Albanian language. In 1914 it was destroyed. But with the help of diaspora it was restored in 1923, while in 1942 it became the Bektashi headquarter for Permet. The tyrbe (mausoleum) was destroyed in 1967 by the communist regime. The shrine is a national cultural monument since 1963.