Halveti Tekke

One of the places we wanted to visit in Berat, Albania was Halveti Tekke. A “tekke” is a place where Muslims of the Sufi Order study Islam and devote themselves to prayer. Tekkes usually have a lodging area onsite or very close by. Think of a monastery – prayer hall, dining hall, study hall, sleeping rooms, etc. Tekkes are also referred to as Dervish Houses, and the Ottoman Turks built many during their five-century rule in the Balkans.

As we approached Halveti Tekke, it was clear that it was closed for restoration. We decided to get closer anyway because we could still see the exterior and there were tombstones on the way there. There were no workers in sight. A man asked where we were from. He said he could call someone to unlock the place for us, and pulled out his cellphone. I didn’t have a very good feeling about the whole deal, and asked how much the guide charges. He said he didn’t know, and that we would have to wait until the guide got there to discuss.

Since we were not born yesterday, we quickly said we didn’t have time to wait, and may come back another day. His face immediately changed, and he practically forbade me from taking any more photos in what is a public area. The woman who was with him also turned visibly hostile. Jerks. Glad I got a few photos before he started trying to scam/gouge us.

Ethnographic Museum

We moved on to the Berat Ethnographic Museum further up the hill towards the castle. A big group of European tourists was just beginning to board their tour bus to leave. At the ticket office, I asked the lady if there really was an authorized guide who could show us the inside of the tekke while it’s closed for restoration. The way she avoided answering answered my question. So glad we didn’t fall for the jerks’ BS.

The ethnographic museum is an 18th-century Ottoman-style home that belonged to a rich Berati family. The museum opened in 1979; the grounds are nicely landscaped and the house is well-preserved. The view from the upper storey made us love Berat even more. We spent about 45 minutes there.

Solomon Museum

On our way back to the hotel, not far from the ethnographic museum, we noticed a Jewish Museum and decided to check it out. Although the old lady there (Mrs. Angjlina Vrusho) didn’t speak much English, we still learned a lot from her and from the exhibits. The Solomon Museum was started by her husband who had recently passed away.

We learned that during WWII, Muslim and Christian residents of Berat hid Jewish people in their homes. Some were their neighbors and some were refugees from neighboring countries. Berat did not lose even one Jewish person to the Nazis. Even though Albania was occupied by the Nazis, Berat’s Jewish population actually increased during the Holocaust.