Like other cachers I was amazed by the lack of caches in this beautiful city. Only three existed when I visited the city in May 2015. As some of those caches were hidden by foreigners I decided to do likewise. Because I too live in another country I have no means to maintain the cache and thus it is only a micro in a secure place. If it gets lost, ripped or destroyed, it shall be archived (unless others are willing to replace it). Hopefully it will last long to give you that extra bit of fun when visiting this remarkable site!
The Et’hem Bey Mosque and the Clock Tower are important landmarks in Tirana.
Construction of the mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Et'hem Beut) was started in 1789 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1823 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey, great-grandson of Sulejman Pasha.
During the totalitarianism of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania, the mosque was closed. On January 18, 1991, despite opposition from communist authorities, 10,000 people entered carrying flags. This event was a milestone in the rebirth of religious freedom in Albania and it was at the onset of the fall of communism in Albania. The frescoes of the mosque depict trees, waterfalls and bridges; still life paintings are a rarity in Islamic art. Tours of the mosque are given daily, though not during prayer service. Take your shoes off before entering the inner room and be sure you are dressed according to Islamic rules.
The Clock Tower of Tirana (Albanian: Kulla e Sahatit), was built in 1822 by Haxhi Et'hem Bey, who also finished the building of the Et'hem Bey Mosque. The stairs have 90 steps that go in a spiral fashion. It is 35 metres (115 ft) tall and was the tallest building in Tirana at the time.
The clock tower originally had a bell from Venice that marked the time every hour. In 1928 the Municipality of Tirana purchased a new clock in Germany to replace the existing one. The clock was destroyed by bombardments during World War II and was replaced in 1946 with a Roman numeral clock from a church in Shkoder, Albania. In 1970 the Roman numeral clock was replaced by a Chinese clock. The tower underwent renovation in 1981 and also in 1999. Access to the top of the tower has been available free of charge since 1996.
Both buildings are beautifully lit at night.
Source: Wikipedia