Sarisalltik

Sarisalltik is one of the most significant religious places in Albania. Sarisalltiku is located at an altitude of 1176 meters, whose balcony offers the visitors a picturesque panorama of the surrounding areas below the mountain. Sarisalltik was known as a symbol of religious tolerance in the Balkan region. He has historically been the main figure among the Bektashi believers and one they have relied upon when spreading their beliefs. A cavern with a depth of 15m and height of 4m, with a beautiful fountain of holy water in the middle can be found on the top of the mountain. Next to the cavern, you have the very first masjid (very small mosque) ever built in Albania, where the grave of Sarisalltik, the legendary figure, lies. Legend has it that Sarisalltik was a dervish on a mission to distribute the bones of his teacher in the seven kingdoms of Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Edirne, Bogdan, and Dalmatia. As a result, there are seven tombs in the world which honour Sarisalltik’s teacher. By the year 1300, when Sarisatllik finally reached Kruja, he heard that, in the cavern at the top of the mountain, a dragon wanted a virgin in exchange for not burning the place. When the time came for the princess to be sacrificed, Sarisalltik climbed up the cavern with the young lady and, using a stick, killed the seven-headed monster with a single move. Part of the mountain suffered, turning to ash after the fire. Shortly after, Sarisalltik built the masjid inside the cavern. During the Communist rule, the pilgrimage to the masjid was banned, but the religious shrine was swiftly rebuilt by the people of Kruja with the beginning of the democratic era in the country. Since that time thousands of pilgrims visit the Sarisalltik Masjid.