Five towers
And walls.
ShkelzenRexha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Karelj — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wolfgang Sauber — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Leeturtle — CC BY-SA 4.0 · David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · InaMyrtollari — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tori Oseku — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wolfgang Sauber — CC BY-SA 4.0
A huge castle 336 m up that dominates the town of Gjirokastër and the strategic river valley below; the old town of Gjirokastër has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 2005. Ali Pasha of Tepelenë extended it with a western wing after 1812, King Zog's government enlarged its prison in 1932, and part of it served as a prison into the communist era. Today it holds five towers, the Gjirokastër Museum, a weapons museum with guns and equipment from the Second World War, a clock tower, two tekkes, a cistern and the stage of the National Folk Festival. Its walls look out over the stone rooftops and the mountains. Entry is about 400 lek, per visitor guides, with the museums inside charged separately. The climb from the old bazaar is steep, so wear comfortable shoes and go in the morning or just before sunset.
And walls.
Inside.
Over stone roofs.
On the hill above the old town, Gjirokastër
Five towers, the Gjirokastër Museum, a weapons museum, a clock tower, two tekkes and the stage of the National Folk Festival.
