Fatih Mosque

The Fatih Mosque is the third-oldest mosque in Albania, standing in the historic core of Durres right beside the Venetian-era fortress walls. Built in 1503, shortly after the Ottomans had finally taken Durres from Venice, it carries the name of Sultan Mehmed II, conqueror of Constantinople. The building is small and plain - a square stone body with a low lead dome and a slender minaret. It was declared a cultural monument in 1973, which is what saved it under Hoxha's 1967 religion ban while many other Durres mosques were demolished. It is again an active parish mosque; sitting against the Venetian walls, it makes a natural stop on a walk through old Durres.