The Muradie Mosque or Lead Mosque (Xhamia e Plumbit) is considered a cultural monument.
In the heart of Vlorë stands a small mosque with a very big name attached to it: it was completed in 1542 AD, and its 18-metre minaret finished in 1557, designed by Mimar Sinan — the same Ottoman architect behind some of the empire’s most celebrated buildings. Look closely at the walls and you’ll see two different colors of brick laid in deliberate patterns, while the minaret itself is cut from plain white stone — a contrast in materials that was a signature of the period. It’s still an active place of worship today, not a museum piece, so a quiet visit means stepping into five centuries of continuous use rather than a preserved moment frozen in time.
