Drino Valley

Transcription

The distinctive local style houses and stone paved streets, earned the nickname "City of Stone" to Gjirokastra. The city is built On the mountain Gjerë slope, around the citadel located on the dominating plateau. The slate roofs were immortalized in Ismail Kadare's book Chronicle in Stone, about his childhood in Gjirokastra. Gjirokastra's old town is inscribed on the UNESCO List as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town" The Ottoman-style tower houses (kule) have distinctive slate roofs, wooden balconies and whitewashed stone walls. The 13th century Gjirokastra citadel dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the Drino valley. Additions, like a clock tower, were built during the 19th and 20th centuries by Ali Pasha of Tepelene and the King Zog. The military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the WW2, as well as a captured US Air Force plane. Gjirokastra is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and notable writer Ismail Kadare. The cross road between five streets, called the bazaar pass (Qafa e Pazarit), is framed by houses with prominent first floor�