Gjirokastër, nestled in the Drino Valley of southern Albania, is often called the “Stone City” for its striking grey stone architecture and hillside network of slate-roofed houses. This picturesque town, with its fortress perched above and its Ottoman-era streets below, is rich in history and legend. Its very name hints at its storied past: one legend speaks of Princess Argjiro, who leapt from the castle walls with her child to avoid capture by Ottoman invaders, giving rise to the name “Argjiro’s castle.” More likely, the name comes from the Greek Argyrokastron meaning “silver castle,” a reference to the shimmering stone walls and rooftops that appear silver in the raingjirokastra.org. Whatever its origin, Gjirokastër has witnessed centuries of change while preserving a unique cultural heritage that earned its old town recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
Medieval Roots and Legendary Origins
The area around Gjirokastër has been inhabited since ancient times, with nearby archaeological sites like Antigonea indicating an early presence of civilization. The town itself began as a medieval fortress settlement. The first recorded mention of Gjirokastër dates back to 1336, when Byzantine chronicler John VI Kantakouzenos referred to a place called Argyrokastron (Silver Castle)gjirokastra.org. At that time, the region was part of the Byzantine Empire’s Despotate of Epirus. By the 14th century, Gjirokastër was a prize contested by local Albanian lords and neighboring powers. The powerful Zenebishi family held the city in the late 1300s, turning it into a regional center. In 1417, however, the expanding Ottoman Empire besieged and captured Gjirokastër, ushering in a new era of foreign rule. According to Ottoman tax records, by 1431–32 the town had 163 households – evidence of a growing settlement under the shadow of its hilltop castle.
During these early centuries, the castle of Gjirokastër was the heart of the city. Initial fortifications on the hill may date back to Late Antiquity, but the castle was expanded in medieval times and again in later periods. It served as a military stronghold guarding the Drino valley. Local lore about Princess Argjiro’s tragic leap during an Ottoman siege speaks to the city’s dramatic medieval history, even if the tale is more myth than fact. What is certain is that by the end of the Middle Ages, this “Silver Castle” had become a bustling little city, its fate tied to the empires that vied for control of this strategic corner of the Balkans.
Ottoman Era: The City of Stone Flourishes
Under Ottoman rule (15th–19th centuries), Gjirokastër blossomed into an important provincial town and truly earned its moniker as the “Stone City.” It became the center of the Ottoman sanjak (district) of Gjirokastër, which brought administrative status and relative prosperity. Over the 16th and 17th centuries, the population grew and urban life flourished. The town spread beyond the castle walls into various hillside neighborhoods, and its distinctive architecture took shape. Wealthy landowners and local notables built grand tower houses made almost entirely of stone – sturdy two- or three-story homes with slate roofs that blended into the grey mountainside. Many of the residences that survive today date to this period, especially the 17th century, when Gjirokastër’s signature architectural style maturedwhc.unesco.org.
Travelers of the time were impressed by the town’s appearance. In 1670 the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi visited and noted Gjirokastër had several hundred houses, many mosques, churches, shops, and even a lively bazaar quarter. Indeed, the old bazaar became the commercial hub of the city, lined with artisans’ shops and markets along steep cobbled streets. An 18th-century mosque (the Bazaar Mosque) was built here, and two churches from the same era still stand – testaments to the mix of Muslim and Christian communities in the townwhc.unesco.org. Over the centuries of Ottoman rule, however, the religious balance shifted: while Gjirokastër was predominantly Christian in the late medieval period, by the 19th century most of its inhabitants were Muslim, due both to conversions and the influx of Muslim families from surrounding areas. Still, Orthodox Christian traditions persisted among the local Greek minority, illustrating the city’s multicultural character.
The Ottoman era not only left an architectural legacy but also several historical figures connected to Gjirokastër. In the early 19th century, the town came under the sway of the notorious Ali Pasha of Tepelena (Ioannina), an Albanian brigand-turned-pasha who ruled over much of Albania and northern Greece. Ali Pasha took control of Gjirokastër around 1811 and refortified its castle, expanding it to accommodate his artillery and troops. He even constructed a remarkable 12-kilometer stone aqueduct to bring water from the mountains to the fortressgjirokastra.org. Though the aqueduct was later largely destroyed, a small portion known as “Ali Pasha’s Bridge” still stands as a reminder of his impact on the city. Thanks to its strategic location and strong local leaders, Gjirokastër by the 19th century was a thriving town of stone mansions, bazaars and mosques – a little Ottoman world unto itself.
20th Century Turmoil and Change
As the Ottoman Empire crumbled in the early 20th century, Gjirokastër found itself at the center of geopolitical struggles. The city was a hotbed of Albanian nationalism in the late 1800s: local patriots opened one of the first Albanian-language schools here in 1908 and hosted meetings in support of independence. When Albania declared independence from the Ottomans in 1912, the status of Gjirokastër was contested. Greek forces occupied the city during the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, as the area has long been home to an ethnic Greek community as well. In 1914, representatives of the Greek minority proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus in Gjirokastër, seeking union with Greece. However, these ambitions were short-lived. After World War I, international agreements firmly assigned Gjirokastër to the new Albanian state, and the country’s borders with Greece were finalized by 1921gjirokastra.org.
During the interwar period under King Zog (r. 1928–1939), Gjirokastër was regarded as an important cultural and economic center in southern Albania. The government, however, also used the imposing castle for less savory purposes – a large prison was built in the fortress to hold political prisoners. World War II brought new turmoil: Fascist Italy invaded Albania in 1939 and Italian troops occupied Gjirokastër. In December 1940, during the Greco-Italian War, the Greek army pushed the Italians out and took control of the city for a few months, only to withdraw when Nazi Germany intervened in 1941. By 1944, Albanian Partisan resistance fighters liberated Gjirokastër from German occupation, and the city became a staging ground for the final push to free the rest of Albania from fascist forces.
The latter half of the 20th century saw Gjirokastër under Albania’s communist regime. This era dramatically affected the city’s fabric and identity. On one hand, the communist government invested in industry and infrastructure, turning Gjirokastër into a regional industrial center. On the other hand, the regime recognized the town’s historical importance – not least because the communist leader Enver Hoxha was born in Gjirokastër in 1908. In 1963 the old city was declared a “Museum City,” a special status aiming to preserve its Ottoman-era character and architecturefeel-albania.com. This designation helped protect Gjirokastër’s hundreds of historic stone houses and monuments from modernization. Hoxha’s own childhood home was converted into an ethnographic museum, and the city’s legacy was carefully guarded (even as the regime officially banned religion and suppressed certain cultural expressions). In fact, of the many mosques that once stood in Gjirokastër, only the 18th-century Bazaar Mosque survived the atheistic campaigns of the communist years – preserved as a cultural monument while others were demolished.
The fall of communism in 1991 brought both hardship and revival. Gjirokastër’s economy, propped up by inefficient state industries, collapsed, leading many residents to migrate elsewhere in search of work. During the chaos of Albania’s 1997 nationwide unrest (sparked by the failure of pyramid investment schemes), Gjirokastër suffered damage to its historic core – parts of the old bazaar were burned and looted amid the lawlessness. Yet, the city’s resilient spirit endured. In the following years, local and international efforts began to focus on restoring Gjirokastër’s heritage. The recognition of its historical value culminated in 2005 when Gjirokastër’s historic center, along with that of the city of Berat, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman-era townfeel-albania.comwhc.unesco.org.
Heritage and Legacy of the Stone City
Today, walking through Gjirokastër feels like stepping into a living museum of Albanian history. The entire old town is a showcase of traditional architecture – white-walled houses with stacked stone roofs rising on the hills, connected by a maze of steep, stone-paved streets. Many notable examples of these tower-houses (known as kullë) have been restored and opened to visitors, such as the Zekate House and Skenduli House, which display carved wooden ceilings, ornate fireplaces, and rooms arranged as they would have been in Ottoman times. In every stone alley or bridge, one can sense layers of history and the continuity of local culture. It’s no surprise that Gjirokastër is often referred to as “the city of a thousand stairs,” as one navigates its stair-like streets climbing to the castle.
The hilltop Gjirokastër Castle remains the city’s crown jewel and a symbol of its endurance. Much of the castle’s present form dates to Ali Pasha’s 19th-century renovations, but parts of it trace back to the 12th century or earlier. Within the castle grounds is the National Arms Museum, displaying weapons and artifacts from various periods of Albanian history. An intriguing relic on display is a United States Air Force plane from the 1950s – a small spy plane that crash-landed in Albania during the Cold War, which the communist government touted as a captured trophy. The castle’s expansive courtyard is also famous as the venue for Albania’s National Folk Festival, a joyous celebration of traditional music and dance held every five years. During the festival, the ancient stone walls come alive with songs and costumes from all regions of the country, reinforcing Gjirokastër’s role as a guardian of cultural heritage.
Gjirokastër’s legacy isn’t only about buildings and events, but also the influential people it has given to Albania and the world. The city is the birthplace of writer Ismail Kadare, a towering figure in Albanian literature known for novels often set in Gjirokastër’s winding streets (Kadare’s house is preserved as a museum). It was also the hometown of Enver Hoxha, the communist leader, a fact that for decades made the city a pilgrimage site for party loyalists. These two sons of Gjirokastër could not be more different – one a creative intellect who won international acclaim, the other a dictator who kept Albania isolated – yet both illustrate the city’s significant imprint on Albanian national identity.
From its silver-stone beginnings to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gjirokastër has retained a special place in Albania’s story. The city today thrives on tourism, welcoming visitors to its preserved Ottoman-era neighborhoods and vibrant bazaar. Locals take pride in sharing their “Stone City,” offering warm hospitality, traditional foods, and tales of its past. Whether one is exploring the fortress at sunset or sipping coffee in a centuries-old bazaar café, the atmosphere of history is palpable. Gjirokastër stands as a beautifully preserved slice of the past – a testament to Albanian resilience and a living repository of the country’s cultural and architectural riches. In the stone and mortar of its houses and castle, the long history of Gjirokastër endures, inviting all who wander its steep lanes to step back in time and experience Albania’s heritage first-hand.
