Gjirokaster: A City of Stones

Another of Albania’s many UNESCO World Heritage sites is the old town portion of Gjirokastër (Gjirokastra), also known as the “City of Stone” for the distinct stone roofs, and the “City of Wailing”. The wailing is related to a story detailed by a 17th century traveler, Evliya Celebi. While there, Celebi heard the sound of a Vajtim, the traditional Albanian lament for the dead. It began with one person, and then quickly spread and was eventually heard coming from the entire city. He thus named it “The city of wailing.”

With artifacts found dating back to well over a thousand years BC, it is also another of Albania’s melting pots of culture and history. It has been governed by a literal handful of different nations with their own distinct ideals and cultures over the ages. Like Albania itself, the history is so complex and long that it would take volumes to write. Geographically Gjirokastër lies southeast of the Adriatic port of Vlore and overlooks the Drin River valley from the eastern slope of the long ridge of the Gjerë mountains with a population of approximately 24,000.

Infrastructure is fair, with multiple busses departing and arriving daily, and many taxis available at any hour. There is no rail service or airport nearby or even within a couple hours. Roads in the old city are extremely narrow with one lane and slick cobblestone. The sidewalks in the old city are the same. Uneven, slick stone. I would have to give it a rating of poor for disabled accessibility, but one must realize and actually see this place in person to appreciate the drastically steep hillside old city.

While in Gjirokastër, we visited two communist-era tunnels that have been turned into museums. One was a stripped military tunnel run by a professional tour group. The other was a personally owned museum showcasing the life of the Albanians during the communist reign. Which objects do you recognize?

As you can see from these pictures, Gjirokastër has beautiful stones from the bottom of the hilly streets to the top of the mountain ranges that surrounds it. Gjirokastër is nestled in the past, but alive in the present.

Gjirokastër has faced isolation many times in their ancient history. It's no wonder that Gjirokastër has beautiful sustaining food that is unique to its region. While we visited several restaurants in the old town, one stood out due to the personal connection created by the owners. Dinner at Restaurant Gjoca was not only delicious, but fun as Defrim sat down with us and engaged about his food while we were trying to decide. He sparkled with excitement over some of his favorite dishes and even posed for our camera while presenting the local beer. He and his wife, Bukra, were a delight to meet. In addition to the traditional wonders we trialed, Greg was highly pleased one evening to enjoy a pint of Guinness in an Irish bar located in Albania.

To learn even more about Albania and it's people, we visited the Zonat Etnologjike të Gjirokastrës (the ethnographic museum). From architecture to clothing we learned about some of the Albanian culrure. We even got to see videos on traditional cooking with recipes, our favorite!

When waiting for the castle gates to open one morning, we observed some workers off to the side. Studying their safety vests, we did a quick Google search. Shocked with curiosity, we learned that this was an authentic Archeological Dig. The Government organization DRTK repairs and preserves archeological elements across the county. They post about their work on Facebook for anyone who wishes to see and read about historical finds in Albania.

The Castle of Gjirokastër is one of the most visited sites for tourists. Visitors can touch the stones which hum with the history of the town, the politics, life, and death. The museum inside the castle holds history of the entire country for those who want to learn more about the Albanians. Visitors can learn about famous men and women patriots as well as the perceived criminals, while the prisons tell sad tales of torture and bold heroism. Many day-trippers spend only an hour or two wandering the castle halls. We spent about four hours learning about the past and could easily go back for more.