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Albania, the first nation to officially adopt Christianity, may soon make history again by granting the Bektashi Order its own sovereign microstate within its capital, Tirana. The proposed microstate, which would cover 27 acres, would allow the Bektashi Order, a Sufi religious mystic order dating back to the 13th century, to run its own affairs – much as Vatican City does.
Founded by Haji Bektash Veli in the 1200s, the Bektashi Order blends elements of Shiite Islam with Sufi mysticism. Historically, it played a key role in the Ottoman Empire, especially among elite soldiers such as the Janissaries.
Despite its influence, the order was banned throughout the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and later suppressed in Turkey during the secular reforms of the 1920s. Since then, its global headquarters have been in Albania.
With an estimated following of up to 20 million spread across the Balkans and the Middle East, the Bektashi order remains influential, but its independence has long been in question. As explained by Medievalists.net, under Prime Minister Edi Rama’s new proposal, the order would gain full administrative autonomy, issuing passports, maintaining its own government, and preserving its religious traditions. This would be the first time since the fall of the Ottoman Empire that the Order would regain sovereignty.
Euro News explains how Baba Mondi, the head of the Bektashi order, praised the plan.
“This is not about acquiring political power or land,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s about preserving our spiritual identity and ensuring that our message of peace and religious moderation continues. Albania has always been a model of religious coexistence, and this proposal is a sign of the government’s visionary leadership.”
For the Bektashi community, the creation of the microstate would represent both a renewal of their heritage and a recognition of Albania’s unique role as a crossroads of religious and cultural harmony. The decision, if approved, would place Albania once again at the center of Europe’s religious history – nearly 2,000 years after it first became the world’s pioneering Christian state.
