THE SUKA TEKKE

The Suka Tekke is a rectangular Bektashi religious complex situated on a hill overlooking the plain of Sukë in Këlcyrë Municipality. It was founded around 1870 by Baba Ali Bubësi, who also led the nearby Prishta Tekke. The tekke was burned by Greek forces in 1914 and rebuilt by Bektashi dervishes in 1920. In 1921, the Holy Fatherly Council of the Bektashi Order, the highest governing body of the Albanian Bektashi community, established the Bektashi School at the Suka Tekke and made it its headquarters. From here, the Council directed the reorganization of the Bektashi Order in Albania and proclaimed its Autocephaly. Between 1922 and 1923, the Bektashi newspaper Reforma, edited by Baba Ali Tomori, was published at the tekke. The tekke was closed during the communist regime in 1967 and reopened in 1992 after the restoration of religious freedom. It was severely damaged during the unrest of 1997. In 2009, a new türbe (shrine) with a domed roof, built on the original foundations, was inaugurated by Haxhi Dede Reshat Bardhi. Today, despite the reconstruction of the türbe, the main tekke complex remains largely in ruins and awaits full restoration.