Albania Plans To Create a Sufi Vatican Inside The Capital

Albania is planning to create its own Vatican City. This one, however, will be a Muslim one. The New York Times they were reported that Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, will announce plans for a sovereign microstate within its capital, Tirana, that will follow the practices of the Bektashi Order — a Shiite Sufi order founded in the 13th century in Turkey. If all goes to plan, the so-called “Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order” will become the world’s smallest state, just a quarter of the size of Vatican City. The 10-hectare patch of land will have its administration, passports, and borders. The new state would allow alcohol, permit women to wear what they want, and impose no lifestyle rules, reflecting the Bektashi Order’s tolerant practices. Rama said the new state aimed to promote a tolerant version of Islam on which Albania prides itself. “We should take care of this treasure, which is religious tolerance and which we should never take for granted,” he told The New York Times.