Summary

Metal trowel with worn wooden handle. This trowel was used to lay the foundation stone of Victoria's first Albanian mosque, in Shepparton, 1956. The stone was laid by Myrteza Adem and R. Sherif Islam. The mosque was opened in 1960.

The Albanian community in Shepparton is the largest Albanian community in regional Australia. The community still observes religious days and the Albanian national day "Flamur Day" on November 28 of each year.

Physical Description

Trowel with metal diamond-shaped 'head' with right-angled neck to which is attached a rounded wooden handle. There is a round metal disc screwed into end of the handle.

Significance

The qu'oran and trowel represent the establishment of Albanian Muslim community life in Victoria. The qu'oran also represents an active effort by one community to preserve its cultural traditions, both by transporting the qu'oran to Australia where it had a chance to survive, and by making it accessible to the local Albanian migrant community. It is a motivation similar to the preservation of the Albanian costume previously donated by Erik Lloga. The qu'oran is a poignant material symbol of cultural loss and endurance, and the ways in which artefacts can be imbued with the cultural, religious and national identities at an individual and community level.

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