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Gjirokastër is considered the center of the Greek community in Albania^[1][2].

[edit] History

Traditional Gjirokastër houses

Gjirokastër is an ancient city with traces of human habitation dating back to the 1st century BC. It is located on the slopes of the Mali i Gjerë ("Wide Mountain"), overlooking the Drinos river. The city was probably founded some time in the 12th century AD around a fortress on the hillside. Under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, it developed into a major commercial centre known as Argyropolis ("Silver City", Greek: Αργυρόπολις) or Argyrokastron ("Silver Castle", Greek: Αργυρόκαστρον).

The city was part of the Byzantine Despotate of Epirus in the 14th century before passing to the Ottoman Empire in 1417. It was captured in 1811 by the Albanian-born Ali Pasha, who carved out his own semi-autonomous fiefdom in the southwestern Balkans. In the late 19th century, when the city was the capital of the sandjak of Ergiri in the Yanya vilayet, it became a centre of resistance to Turkish rule. The Assembly of Gjirokastër, a key event in the history of the Albanian liberation movement, was held there in 1880.

During the First Balkan War of 1912–1913, the city was claimed by Greece due to its large Greek population in the area of Dropull south of the city. It was held on three separate occasions by the Greek Army. However, it was awarded to Albania under the terms of the Treaty of London of 1913 and the Protocol of Florence of 17 December 1913 awarded Gjirokastër to Albania.^[3]. The Greek military returned in October-November 1914, during the First World War, and again captured Gjirokastër and the southern Albanian city of Korçë. In April 1916 the territory was annexed to Greece. The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 restored the pre-war status quo, essentially upholding the border line decided in the 1913 Protocol of Florence, and the city was again returned to Albanian control.^[4]

In April 1939, Gjirokastër was occupied by Italy and was annexed to that country along with much of the rest of Albania. During the Second World War, Germany invaded and took control in September 1943, but the city returned to Albanian control in 1944.

The postwar Communist regime developed the city as an industrial and commercial centre. It was elevated to the status of a "museum town", birthplace of the dictator Enver Hoxha, who had been born there in 1908. His house was converted into a museum which became a focal point of Hoxha's cult of personality.

Gjirokastër suffered severe economic problems following the end of communist rule in 1991. It was particularly badly affected by the 1997 collapse of a massive pyramid scheme which destabilised the entire Albanian economy. The city became the focus of a rebellion against the government of Sali Berisha and violent anti-government protests took place which eventually forced Berisha's resignation. On December 16, 1997, Hoxha's house was blown up by unknown (but presumably anti-communist) attackers.

Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra (well-preserved southern Albanian towns bearing outstanding testimony to the Ottoman period in the Balkans)*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Albania
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Reference	569
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2005  (29th Session)
Extensions	2008
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.