These stone towers, potent symbols of traditional Islamic Kosovar culture, were particularly targeted during the recent war, and now only a couple dozen survive. The Mazrekaj family has survived warfare, regime changes, and economic instability, and so has their kulla , but now that Kosovo has found independence and relative stability, helping the kulla participate in modern tourism is the surest way to ensure the survival of the historic structure, and the prosperity of the family who have held it for three centuries.
Adventures in Preservation, an American company partnering with Cultural Heritage Without Borders Kosovo, brought seven volunteers to spend two weeks working on the kulla alongside the Mazrekaj family, guided by conservation architects and local craftsmen.
The result? A historically-minded rehabilitation of the 18th century building. Our master craftsmen, Smiley and Hasan. Smiley behind was our plastering guru, a quick frenetic presence, while Hasan, about a foot and a half taller, was the gentle giant who led us in woodworking.
The Bunny tries out her bricklaying skillsโฆ! As far as possible, we reused the bricks from the doorway we had just knocked out. The external side of the new wall, with lovely pine planking and a custom-made door. And on the other side, plastering over the lathe and chicken wire. The original floorboards in situ, preserved under a layer of dirt. It took quite a few trips of the bucket brigade to bring all that sand up to the second floor from the courtyardโฆ!
Splatter stage: Master Smiley had this incredible skill for distributing the plaster evenly over the whole surface with just a flick of his wrist.
