Albania's World Heritage Sites Berat Gjirokastra And Butrint

Berat and Gjirokastra are inscribed as rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period. Located in central Albania, Berat bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle, locally known as the Kala, most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC. The citadel area numbers many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century, as well as several mosques built under the Ottoman era which began in 1417. Gjirokastra, in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania, features a series of outstanding two-story houses which were developed in the 17th century. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period. The authenticity of the World Heritage property Butrint is related to its excellent preservation on a site where the changing human interaction with the environment can be observed in the surviving monuments, the below-ground archaeology and the surrounding landscape. The quality of the restoration and conservation work carried out since 1924 has been high. Later interventions have abided by contemporary standards as set out in the 1964 Venice Charter.