Ali Pasha Mosque (Ohrid)

The Ali Pasha Mosque[a] is the main mosque in the city of Ohrid, North Macedonia. It is the seat of a muftiate.[1]

The mosque was built in the city's Old Bazaar on the orders of Sulejman Pasha in 1573. It was renovated by the vizier Ali Pasha of Yanina and posthumously given his name in 1823.[2] Evliya Çelebi, a 17th-century Ottoman explorer, mentioned the mosque having two minarets, though the second was never captured in a photograph; the other was demolished at some point in the 1910s and survived as a 6.5-metre stub.[1]

On 1 April 2015, an agreement was signed between the Turkish government and North Macedonia's Islamic Union for renovation of the mosque.[2] There was some local opposition to plans to extend the minaret to 32 metres, arguing that a lack of planning debate could harm communal relations in the majority Christian city.[3] The project was completed in November 2019.[2]

  • View from the street in 2014, before the extension of the minaret
    View from the street in 2014, before the extension of the minaret
  • View from the street in 2022, including the finished minaret
    View from the street in 2022, including the finished minaret

Notes

  1. ^ * Macedonian: Али-Пашина Џамија Ali-Pašina Džamija

References

  1. ^ a b "The restoration of the Mosque of Ali Pasha in Ohrid causes friction". Koha. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Turkey completes restoration of Ohrid's Ali Pasha Mosque". Daily Sabah. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  3. ^ Jakov Marusic, Sinisa (28 November 2017). "Tempers Rise in Macedonian Resort Over Tall Minaret". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
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