Artana/Novoberdë, 20 December, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku and the Mufti of the Islamic Community, Naim Tërnava, during today’s afternoon visited Artana, on the occasion of the complete restoration of the Osman Efendi Mosque and Turba of Old Mehmet.
Known differently to the residents of Artana, as the Çarshi Mosque/Mesxhid, it is one of at least 5 unique mosques that were built in the Ottoman period (1455 – 20th century). Whereas, today this is the only Mosque in the city of Artana, and as such it is listed in the list of monuments under temporary protection, located within the special protected area “Medieval City of Novobërda”.
On the other hand, the Turba of Sheh Mehmet, was built for the person named The Old Mehmet, and served for the performance of religious ceremonies of one of the 12 sects of dervishes.
These are two of the 20 cultural heritage monuments that have been restored within the program “Cultural Heritage as a stimulus for inter-community dialogue and social cohesion”.
Within this program, the two aforementioned monuments have been completely restored, ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage values, and at the same time returning the monuments to the service of the religious community and citizens. This program is co-financed by the Office of the European Union in Kosovo, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and implemented by UNDP.
Prime Minister Kurti, Minister Çeku and Myftu Tërnava also held a short meeting after the visit.
Last modified: December 21, 2023