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Albania
On December 9 and 10, 2004, the Albanian capital hosted a Regional Summit on Inter-religious and Inter-ethnic Dialogue which led to the adoption of a Declaration on Inter-ethnic and Inter-religious dialogue in South-East Europe.
Albania.jpg
Butrinti
© UNESCO/C. Martin
Albania has been a member of UNESCO since October 16, 1958. It was recently the subject of a UNESCO study on the state of the country's cultural heritage. Albanian heritage was honoured in 2005 with the inscription on the World Heritage List of the Museum-City of Gjirokastra, which is an exceptional example of a bygone society and a way of life that has almost disappeared. In July 2005, the other Albanian site inscribed on the World Heritage List, the archaeological site of Butrint, was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger as a result of a joint effort between UNESCO and the Albanian authorities to protect and conserve it.

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Museum-City of Gjirokastra
Albania


County and District of Gjirokastër
N40 4 10 E20 7 60
ref: 569rev

* Description
* Documents
* Gallery

[Museum-City of Gjirokastra]
Date of Inscription: 2005
Criteria: (iii)(iv)
Core zone: 85.300003 Ha
Buffer zone: 88 Ha
Brief Description

The historic town of Gjirokastra, in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania, is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate. The 13th-century citadel provides the focal point of the town with its typical tower houses (Turkish kule). Characteristic of the Balkan region, Gjirokastra contains a series of outstanding examples of kule, a type of building which crystallized in the 17th century. But Gjirokastra also features some more elaborate examples from the early 19th century. The kule has a tall basement, a first floor for use in the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season. Interiors feature rich decorative details and painted floral patterns, particularly in the zones reserved for the reception of visitors. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period.
Justification for Inscription

Criterion (iii): The old city of Gjirokastra is an exceptional testimony to a long-lasting, and almost disappeared society and life-style, influenced by the culture and tradition of Islam in the Ottoman period.

Criterion (iv): The historic town of Gjirokastra is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estates, around the 13th-century citadel. The architecture is characterized by the construction of a type of tower house (Turkish ‘kule’), of which Gjirokastra represents a series of outstanding examples.