Story
The story of Gjirokastër
The name of this city means "silver castle". It first appears in 1336 as Argyrokastro, from the Medieval Greek words for silver and castle. Locals also tell of a Princess Argjiro who gave the town its name, but scholars consider that folk etymology.
Under the Ottomans it was known as Ergiri. In 1399 the Albanian lord Gjon Zenebishi won a victory that made Gjirokastër his capital; after his death the Ottomans took it in 1418. When the traveller Evliya Çelebi visited in 1670, he counted around 2000 houses, eight mosques, three churches and 280 shops. The city lies in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea level.
During the communist period it was declared a "museum city" because of its architecture, and today its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the birthplace of the writer Ismail Kadare and of former communist leader Enver Hoxha.
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More highlights in Gjirokastër
- Kordhocë bridgeThe Kordhocë Bridge is an Ottoman Turkish stone arch bridge in the village of Kordhocë in Albania and about two kilometers south of Gjirokastër. It spans the Drino river at a maximum height of about 7 meters.
- Gjirokastër FortressGjirokastër Castle is a fortress in Gjirokastër, Albania (during Ottoman rule it was historically known as Ergiri while Greeks referred to it as Argyrokastro, a name applied also to the castle) which also includes a Bektashi tyrbe.
- Zekate HouseZekate House, is a house in Gjirokastër, Albania. The house was built in 1811–1812 by Beqir Zeko, a local Albanian general administrator in Ali Pasha's government.
- Libohovë FortressLibohovë Castle is an Ottoman-era castle in Libohovë, Gjirokastër county, southern Albania. It is possible that Libohovë Castle was built on the ruins of another castle or other structure.