Tekke of Sari Salltik

The Tekke of Sari Salltik is a holy place of the Baktashi order, a Sufi branch of the Islamic religion, located atop of Sarisalltik mountain at 1176m above sea level. At its peak, Sarisalltik mountain has a large cave, which is 15m deep and 4m high. Inside the cave, there is a sacred fountain. Next to the cave, there is Masjid –a small mosque, that is the first one every built in Albania. Inside of which, there is the grave of St. Sari Salltik. Sari Salltik is a legendary figure of the Bektashi order. According to Bektashi legend, Sari Salltik came to Kruje on his way during a missionary trip. On top of the mountain, there was a dragon nesting, which threathened Kruja’s villagers to burn the town if they did not sacrifice a virgin girl. When the villagers decided to sacrifice their princess to the dragon, Sari Salltik went along with the princess and finally killed the dragon with a single stick. Even though a part of the mountain turned into ashes, the mountain came to belong to the hands of locals after he built a Masjid. The story of the Dragon is surely a legendary myth, but his name has been mentioned in several historical pieces of literature, including one of a 14th century Morrocan traveller and geographer Ibn Battuda. A number of Bektashi pilgrims visit this holy place regularly. For believers of the Bektashi order, the hike up to the mountain itself is a sacred experience. But a lot of people come to visit this mountain as well in oder to enjoy a panoramic view from ‘the balcony of the Adria’, which looks over the surrounding area towards the Adriatic sea.