Arabati Baba Teke
Walled Bektashi dervish lodge of 1538 in Tetovo, the largest surviving complex of its kind in Europe.
Arabati Baba Teke stands on the western edge of Tetovo, below the slopes of Mount Sar. It grew around the tomb of Sersem Ali Baba, an Ottoman dervish of the Bektashi order who died in 1538, and was greatly enlarged in 1799 when Recep Pasha endowed the present grounds as a religious foundation. The complex is usually described as the largest and best preserved Bektashi lodge surviving in Europe, and its silhouette appears on the coat of arms of the town.
Behind a long wall with a gatehouse and watchtower lie lawns and orchards scattered with low buildings: lodgings for dervishes, a guest house and kitchen, a library, prayer rooms and the domed turbe of the founder. The centrepiece is a great marble fountain sheltered by an open timber pavilion with a painted ceiling. The lodge was closed under Yugoslav rule and returned to religious use after 1991; the grounds are freely walked and visitors are often shown round by the resident community.
Highlights
- The largest surviving Bektashi dervish lodge in Europe
- Marble fountain under a painted timber pavilion
- Domed turbe of Sersem Ali Baba, who died in 1538
- Walled grounds with gatehouse, watchtower and orchards
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