Albania: Mysticism in the Balkans

In Albania, clairvoyance and mysticism are not commercialized in show programs. They are part of everyday life, folklore and secret societies.
The Bektashi Order (Mystical Islam)
Tirana is the world capital of the Sufi Bektashi Order. Their spiritual leaders, called "Dedi" (Grandfathers) or Baba, are true mystics who practice deep meditation and are considered guardians of esoteric knowledge.
Experiencing the Sacred Mount Tomor: Mount Tomor in Albania is considered the Olympus of Albanian mysticism. Every year, thousands of people climb it, and Bektashi mystics fall into a prayerful trance. It is believed that at this place the heavens open and the prayers of healers have the power to heal the terminally ill and give prophetic dreams to those who sleep on the summit.
Albanian "Witches" and Folk Fortune Tellers (Shtrigat)
In Albanian mountain villages (especially in the north), there is still a cult of the so-called "Striga" (Shtriga) or folk healers, who, however, are more clairvoyants in the traditional sense.
Specific practices and experiences: These women use animal bones, beans or coffee reading. They are known to be able to predict the birth of an heir in the family years in advance or to determine exactly which neighbor has cast the "evil eye" (lessons) on the harvest or livestock. Their clairvoyance is purely domestic, but extremely accurate for local communities.
1. Baba Mondi (Edmond Brahimaj, born 1959) - The Living Leader of the Bektashis

He is the current world leader of the Bektashi order, based in Tirana. Before taking up the spiritual path, he was a military officer, but experienced a strong spiritual awakening.
The experience and mystical philosophy: Baba Mondi is revered in Albania not just as an administrative leader, but as a mystic who possesses the gift of deep empathy and “reading hearts.” He regularly welcomes people of all religions to his world headquarters in Tirana. Visitors say that during a conversation he manages to name hidden pains and spiritual blockages, without the person in front of him saying a word.
Baba Mondi is known for his seclusions and meditations on Mount Tomor, where he claims to receive spiritual guidance to preserve peace in the Balkans.
2. Ali Pasha Tepelenski (1740–1822) and the prophecy of Baba Shem
A historical figure whose fate is inextricably linked to mysticism. Ali Pasha, the ruler of Ioannina (born in Albania), was a deeply superstitious man who had a personal spiritual advisor, the Bektashi saint Baba Shemmi of Fushe-Kruja.
Baba Shemmi was known for his prophetic trances. When Ali Pasha was at the height of his power and planning a rebellion against the Ottoman Sultan, the mystic emerged from seclusion and gave him an ominous warning: “I see your head severed from your body on a golden platter in Istanbul if you cross the threshold of greed.” Ali Pasha ignored his words and ultimately killed the dervish himself in a fit of rage.
Years later, in 1822, Ali Pasha was betrayed, beheaded by Ottoman troops, and his head was sent to Istanbul on a silver platter to be shown to the Sultan—just as the mystic he had killed had predicted.
3. Dervish Hatixhe (18th century) – The Shining Healer of Tirana
One of the most famous and revered female mystics in Albanian history. Her türbe (tomb) in the center of Tirana is a place of pilgrimage to this day.
When a devastating plague epidemic broke out in Tirana, Hatixhe, who had been initiated into Sufi mysteries, refused to flee. She fell into a trance, during which she claimed to see the “angel of disease” and received knowledge from above on how to heal people. She began to receive the sick into her home, treating them with herbs, prayers, and the laying on of hands, and miraculously neither she nor her family became infected.
Before her death, she predicted that her home would remain a holy place and that “anyone who comes with pure faith and touches the ground here will find healing for their mind and body.” Today, hundreds of Albanians visit her grave to seek healing and clairvoyant dreams.
4. Bujar Murtezani – Albania’s Modern “Ngankari”
In recent history and modern times, Albania (especially in the rural areas around Elbasan and Korça) has had folk healers and clairvoyants known as “Sheriat” (healers with prayers). Bujar Murtezani has been a household name in Central Albania since the late 20th century.
He practices traditional Albanian clairvoyance through water and sacred text. The person brings a vessel of water over which Bujar recites ancient mystical formulas until he falls into a state where he “sees” images at the bottom of the vessel.
He became famous for successfully indicating where family values ​​lost during the communist regime in Albania were buried, and for predicting the exact dates of return of Albanian emigrants who had illegally left by boat to Italy and Greece, reassuring their mothers.
5. The phenomenon of the “Burnes” (Sworn Virgins) as spiritual guides
In northern Albania there is a unique cultural and social phenomenon – women who take a vow of chastity, dress and live as men (Burnes). Some of them were attributed with strong mystical and prophetic abilities.
Since the Burnesh were considered to be above earthly passions and pure before God, clan elders often consulted them before blood feuds (Giakomaria) or important battles. They would retreat into seclusion and predict whether the outcome of the conflict would bring a curse or a blessing to the clan, reading signs in nature and the flight of eagles in the Albanian Alps.