Forsaken Albania

By Artan Lame
Tirana, in the twenties’ The Clock Tower, or as it is known in the old language “the mound of the Clock”, together with the Mosque of Ethem Bey, constitutes the most valuable object of this city called Tirana. With foundations laid in the first years of the XIX Century, it took about 20 years to complete, not so much for the degree of difficulty in constructing it, but mostly because of a lack of finances. Begun with the money of Haxhi Ethem Bey, it was later financed by the traders of the local Bazzar, when the Bey ran out of money. Today, this would be called, “additional tender funds for unexpected construction work.” This is anoriental type tower and the works of the clock have been installed above the clock’s dial, where the two stone arches can be seen in the photograph. The clock originally did not have a dial or hands to tell the time, as western type clocks do, but the time was conveyed by the bell chimes. The bells were at the top of the tower beneath the small roof, visible above teh two arches we mention earlier. Urban legend has it that the original clocks made out of beaten iron and bronx sheeting, were plundered by the Austrian Army during WWI, in 1917, however, I don’t believe these legends all that much. The upper part of the tower was destroyed in 1928 adn it was re-constructed in the shape it has today with state expenditure. I mentioned this just in case the owner of the land on which the tower stands comes forward.
The photo shows the entire complex-tower-mosque-minaret, taken from “28 November Street,” the entire area of which has been dug out, it appears to be the moment when the tower was being fitted out in 1924. The building to the left of the photo was the State Hospital at the time and had been a hospital since the time of the Turks. It had originally been a school and was built in the thirties of the XIX Century.
At first glance, you can see a telephone pole, which Albtelecom of that time must have purchased by tender, because you could hardly find a more crooked pole. One thing I have always noticed in today’s photographs of Albania, is the presence of mazes of telephone wiring and power cables hanging everywhere and criss crossing the skyline inall directions. This photo above makes you understand that this is not a defect of modern times, but a ailment that has accompanied development in this country ever since the arrival of the telephone or electric power.