Η Ιβάννα φθάνοντας στην πύλη του κάστρου, και περνώντας στον προθάλαμό του, δέχτηκε τo πρώτο καλωσόρισμα, από μια ταμπέλα στα αγγλικά:
"Welcome to the Gjirokastra Castle".
Gjirokastra castle is one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans. Perched on cliffs overlooking a principal highway, the site has occupied an important strategic position for centuries.There is evidence of a 7th century BC Iron Age settlement and a series of the 5th-6th century AD walls suggesting reoccupation after the decline of the Roman Empire. By the end of the 13th century an imposing fortress had been constructed and local feudal warlords, the Zenebishi clan, had made it their stronghold.
Ottoman occupation from 1417 saw the growth of Gjirokastra as an important administrative and commercial centre. The original medieval fortress was refashioned by Sultan Beyazid II in the 15th century. The Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, who visited in 1670, described the castle as having "...long sold ramparts resembling a galley" a comparison that modern visitors still remark upon.
Ali Pasha of Tepelena (powerful Albanian ruler (pasha) of the Ottoman Empire's territory which was called "Pashalik" of Ioannina) substantially extended the castle to the south-west after 1811. He constructed an aqueduct (over 10 km long) to supply the castle with water, which was stores in giant cisterns. Some parts of it are visible today. Ali Pasha bridge, a single short span remains outside the Dunavat district of the city.
Ali Pasha Teplena (Louis Dupré, 1819)
The castle continued to be used as a garrison throughout the 19th century. In the late 1920s, King Zog ordered the construction of a prison within the Catle walls. From 1944 to 1963, the communist regime used the gaol to incarcerate political opponents. Part of the prison now houses the National Museum of Armaments.
"Welcome to the Gjirokastra Castle".
Gjirokastra castle is one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans. Perched on cliffs overlooking a principal highway, the site has occupied an important strategic position for centuries.There is evidence of a 7th century BC Iron Age settlement and a series of the 5th-6th century AD walls suggesting reoccupation after the decline of the Roman Empire. By the end of the 13th century an imposing fortress had been constructed and local feudal warlords, the Zenebishi clan, had made it their stronghold.
Ottoman occupation from 1417 saw the growth of Gjirokastra as an important administrative and commercial centre. The original medieval fortress was refashioned by Sultan Beyazid II in the 15th century. The Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, who visited in 1670, described the castle as having "...long sold ramparts resembling a galley" a comparison that modern visitors still remark upon.
Ali Pasha of Tepelena (powerful Albanian ruler (pasha) of the Ottoman Empire's territory which was called "Pashalik" of Ioannina) substantially extended the castle to the south-west after 1811. He constructed an aqueduct (over 10 km long) to supply the castle with water, which was stores in giant cisterns. Some parts of it are visible today. Ali Pasha bridge, a single short span remains outside the Dunavat district of the city.
The castle continued to be used as a garrison throughout the 19th century. In the late 1920s, King Zog ordered the construction of a prison within the Catle walls. From 1944 to 1963, the communist regime used the gaol to incarcerate political opponents. Part of the prison now houses the National Museum of Armaments.
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