The Et'hem Bey mosque is located in the center of the Albanian capital Tirana. Construction was started in 1789 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1823 by his son Haxhi Et`hem Bey , great-grandson of Sulejman Pasha.
During communist rule in Albania the mosque was closed until January 18, 1991, when, despite opposition among communist authorities, ten thousand people attended prayer service. This was at the onset of the fall of communism in Albania.
The frescoes of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges; still life paintings, a rarity in Islamic art.
