Albania Opens “Muslim Life Museum” to Preserve Heritage and Memory of Religious Repression

Albania Opens “Muslim Life Museum” to Preserve Heritage and Memory of Religious Repression
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Albania has inaugurated the Muslim Life Museum, also known as the Museum of Albanian Islamic Art and Heritage, a pioneering cultural and educational initiative aimed at preserving and showcasing the country’s Islamic identity. The institution seeks to highlight three main dimensions: the deep Islamic heritage of Albania and the Balkans, the era of religious persecution under communist rule from 1945 to 1990, and the continuity of Islamic life and creativity in the present day.

The museum addresses a long-standing gap in public awareness and historical memory. For decades, Albania’s Islamic history was marginalized or distorted in official narratives, while the communist regime demolished mosques and Sufi lodges, banned religious practices, and imprisoned or executed clergy. Through its exhibits, the museum provides a space of remembrance and renewal, featuring rare artifacts, manuscripts, religious art, architectural models, photographs, and oral histories that reflect both tradition and modernity.

Beyond its collections, the museum hosts cultural events, public lectures, and educational programs in collaboration with schools and universities, encouraging historical understanding and critical thinking. It also engages youth and fosters dialogue around Albania’s shared heritage.

To reinforce its mission, the institution has organized major exhibitions, including “Lifting the Curtain” in April 2024, showcasing manuscripts and sacred objects that survived communist repression; “The Road of Letters” in October 2024, highlighting Islamic calligraphy from Shkodër; and “Opium Icons” in April 2025, examining propaganda used by the communist state against religion.