Elbasan Castle

Elbasan Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Elbasanit) is a 15th-century fortress from Ottoman Turkish times in the city of Elbasan, Albania.

A previous fortification was built during the 4th century, theorized after the Gothic invasions of Illyria in 378 AD. It was initially composed of three meter thick walls in a rectangular shape (c. 348 by 308m). The surrounding region showed evidence of considerable agricultural activity during the Roman period. A second period of settlement is noticed up until the 6th century, the decline of which corresponds with the Slavic invasions.

The Elbasan Castle was restored under orders of Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire. Due to the short time it took to be completed, it is noted that the restoration made use of the pre-existing fortification considerably. It consisted of 26 equidistant 9-metre (30 ft) high towers, and part of Via Egnatia passes through the castle.

Sinan Pasha's hamam (Turkish bathhouse) is within the walls of the castle. It is a well-preserved attraction built in the early 19th century.

Text adapted from “Elbasan Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Elbasan Castle ranks #1,746 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #6 of the 27 mapped in Albania. Founded 378, it is older than 97% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 9 atlas entries founded in the 4th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,964 times in the last 60 days, more than 66% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Tirana, 32 km away. See how Albania compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗