From ethnographic museum to Islamic museum, Rama "disappears" Veliaj from Tirana's heritage

Suela Gjidede

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented last night the project for the Museum of Islamic Art and Heritage in the premises of the Toptan Palace in the capital.

If we go back in time, the unexpected turn that Tirana's cultural heritage projects are taking is striking. Rama's latest presentation best shows how the projects of Erion Veliaj, who has been in detention since February of this year, are gradually "disappearing".  

Both projects have at their center the historic building of the Toptans' Sarajev, but Rama's idea has taken a completely different direction, overshadowing a previous project promoted by the Mayor, Erion Veliaj. 

More specifically, we recall that in May 2023, Veliaj presented the project idea for the return of Sarajev to the Ethnographic Museum of Tirana, describing the building as a symbol of the city's identity.

He emphasized the importance of local heritage, mentioning elements such as the well, the carac, and the daily culture of Tirana's neighborhoods. The project was supported by the Ministry of Culture and presented by Spanish architect Jesus Hernandez.

 "What is identity? There are many people who say we want the identity of Tirana. The correct answer is: It depends on who you ask! Because for some, the identity of Tirana is the house with the well and the caracë and I am glad that both the well and the caracë will be reactivated here. But, again, it depends on who you ask, because some others do not connect the identity of Tirana with the well, the caracë, but connect it as 'Ali Demsa', 'Xhamlliksa', 'Lapraksa'. For some things we have different opinions, but we cannot have different facts. When it comes to facts, they are all stubborn: Such a building represents the identity of Tirana, it deserved to be expropriated and become the property of Tirana", declared Veliaj at the time.

But just a few months later, after Veliaj's arrest, at a conference held at the same Saraje e Toptanëve, Prime Minister Rama presented a new project for the same space: the Museum of Islamic Art and Heritage.

In his speech, Rama described this museum as an "added value for the capital" and a necessity to represent a part of history that is often misunderstood or forgotten.

Rama considered the Islamic museum as part of a "cultural necklace" that includes the new National Theater, the National Gallery, and the Besa Museum. 

"This museum is added to a necklace that is getting longer and richer with the new National Theater, the National Gallery, the Besa Museum that is right next door. What is important is that this is a key station in our history as a nation. The architect's unquestionable talent is a guarantee and I am very happy that in parallel Hernandez is also working on another museum in Shkodra that is practically dedicated to the martyrdom of the Catholic clergy. And thus we complete a missing mosaic of the history of religion in Albania that will have its place in the new national museum," declared Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The irony is also emphasized in the fact that the new Islamic Museum project bears the signature of the same Spanish architect, Jesus Hernandez, who previously presented Veliaj's vision for an ethnographic museum in the same building, thus turning architecture into a silent arena of political rivalry.

With Veliaj's "disappearance" from the political scene and Rama's control of projects and local government, all power is now in one hand./ Politiko.al/