Rahovec, the municipality of vineyards and tekkes

Rahovec is one of those places most people know only by reputation, for its wine, and it has a good deal more. An 18th-century clock tower dominating the town, two Sufi tekkes with stories of their own, Roman baths and, a few kilometres away, the village of Velika Hoča.

A municipality of plain and hills

Rahovec (Orahovac in Serbian) lies in south-west Kosovo. According to Visit Kosovo, the official tourism site in its 2021 copy, it borders Klina to the north, Suharekë to the east, Prizren to the south and Gjakova to the west, and that it covers the centre and south of the Dukagjin plain. ASK, the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, counted 41,799 residents in 2024, against 56,208 in 2011, across 36 settlements. The town has 13,642, followed by Krushë e Madhe, Ratkoc and Xërxë. OpenStreetMap assigns it to the Gjakova region.

The clock tower and the tekkes

The clock tower stands in the Gradina quarter of the old town and, according to its DTK record, marks the highest point of the town’s skyline. Mahmud Pasha Rrotulli built it, and an Ottoman inscription over the door gives the year 1206 of the Hijri calendar, 1792. Inside was a clock mechanism dated 1793 that no longer works and is kept in the Rahovec museum. Between 2009 and 2010 the tower was fully restored and fitted with a new clock.

The Halveti tekke, known as Teqja e Madhe, dates from 1732. Shejh Sylejman Baba Rahoveci founded it, and it has two mausoleums and a library of old books and manuscripts, according to the DTK. The Melami tekke, from 1887, also played a part, its record says, in teaching in the Albanian language.

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Romans, bridges and vines

At Çifllak the DTK lists Roman baths of the 2nd to 4th century, with remains of a pool, coins and imported pottery. At Fortesë, 7 km south-west of town, there is a single-arched stone bridge with a 7 m span, presumed by its record to be 16th century and still in use.

The government tourism portal mentions 13,998 hectares of farmland, many sunny summer days and vines among the crops. What I can tell you about the wine with a source behind it is on the Rahovec wine page.

Velika Hoča and Zočište

About 5 km east of town is Velika Hoča (Hoçë e Madhe), which the Special Protective Zones law protects end to end, with an article to itself. Close by stands Zočište Monastery, covered by the same law. Both are Orthodox heritage and call for a discreet visit.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Gjakova on GetYourGuide.

How to plan it

I have no official accommodation data for Rahovec, so I would stay in Gjakova or Prizren and drive over. A morning for the town and an afternoon for Velika Hoča is a good split, remembering the FCDO advice to avoid driving rural roads at night.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Gjakova for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.