TANNERS' BRIDGE
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A rare Ottoman relic in Tirana, this bridge was used to transport cattle to tanners and butchers.
This small stone bridge from the 18th century (Ura e Tabakëve) is no longer of any use: it spans the former bed of the Lana, which was diverted in the 1930s. But it is one of the rare vestiges of the Ottoman period in Tirana. Forming a curve reaching 7 m in height, the structure has a deck 8 m long and 2.5 m wide. It rests on two pillars connected by three arches, the largest of which is 2.5 m long. It is located in the old tabakëve district. In Albanian, this term refers to a single profession that includes tanners and butchers. The bridge allowed them to get supplies of cattle which were brought from the plateaus of the Debar/Dibër region (about 150 km to the northwest) following the "road of Saint George" (rruga e Shëngjergjit) which connected Tirana through the village of Shëngjergj ("Saint George"), at the foot of Mount Dajti. About 200 m northeast of the Tanners' bridge, on the other bank of the Lana (access by a pedestrian bridge), stands the Tanners' mosque (Xhamia e Tabakëve). Located between two modern colored buildings, it was built in the seventeenth century by the guild of tanners and butchers. Because of the unpleasant smell sticking to the skin of these craftsmen, it was common in Ottoman cities that the butchers and tanners had their own place of worship, away from other mosques. This one was destroyed by lightning in 1927, rebuilt in 1933, then closed in 1976 to serve as a warehouse. It is again open to worship since 1990.
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