The Arabati Baba Tekke is a Bektashi Tekke in the North Macedonian city of Tetovo.It is the largest and best preserved complex in the Western Balkans.
The complex was originally built after 1538 around the tombstone of Sersem Ali Baba, an Ottoman dervish who was a follower of the Bektashi rite within the mystical movement known as Sufism. It is one of the most beautiful examples of the Bektashi monastery complex in Europe, which consists of a prayer hall, several residential and farm buildings, the Left Fountain , a wooden pavilion with a marble fountain, and a cemetery. The entire complex is surrounded by a stone wall with several gates.
The tekke constitutes one of the most famous monuments of the city with the painted mosque. It is particularly renowned for its wooden architecture, which has numerous sculpted elements, the complex still serves religious purposes, but is also accessible to tourists.
Access : Coordinates: 42.004109, 20.957567 / Arabati Baba Tekke is located in the city of Tetovo in the northwest of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Highlights :
- A tekke is a kind of Muslim monastery occupied by Sufis that of Tetovo was inhabited by dervishes who were members of the Bektashi order.
- The sprawling complex, the best-preserved Bektashi house in Europe, includes flowering lawns, prayer rooms, dining rooms, lodgings and a large marble fountain inside a wooden pavilion.Due to its stunning architecture, Arabati Baba Teḱe has become an icon, a symbol of Tetovo and is featured on its municipal coat of arms.
Go next : Tetovo , a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia / Brvenica , A small town just south of Tetovo.
