Clock Tower of Tirana

The landmark was begun by Haxhi Et'hem Bey, the same patron as the mosque beside it, and finished with money from the city's wealthier families. The first versi…The landmark was begun by Haxhi Et'hem Bey, the same patron as the mosque beside it, and finished with money from the city's wealthier families. The first version stood thirty metres and told the time by a brass bell struck on the hour, with no dials at all; the Tufina family, the capital's clockmakers, installed the mechanism.

The present form dates from the interwar remodelling, when five metres, a balcony, four dials and a Venetian-style roof were added and a German movement fitted. Until 1970 it was the tallest thing in the city. The lower half is Turkish-era stonework and the upper half western, and together with the mosque it forms the ensemble on the municipal coat of arms.