APRIL 13-14, 2025
The city of a thousand windows.
The first thing we noticed when we pulled into Berat was the houses stuck like barnacles to the side of a cliff, with an old castle on top. The second thing we noticed was that our Airbnb was one of those houses. We went up a steep cobble-stoned street barely wide enough to squeeze our small car through. The Hostess greeted us at the property and had us park in her little garage. We were very glad we chose the smaller car.
A word about the guesthouse. We had a private little alcove just outside of our room.
The owners were super nice and even brought us a dessert made with pearl barley. It was delicious. They were eager to chat. Thank goodness for Google translate! They were delightful.
We decided to pick up some groceries at a nearby market. At the end of our street was the famous Gorica Bridge. It is one of the oldest Ottoman bridges in Albania. The original wooden bridge was built in 1780, but rebuilt with stone in the 1920s. It is 129 metres (423 ft) long and 5.3 metres (17 ft) wide. It has seven arches and is 10 metres (17 ft) above the average water level.
It spans the Osum River and connects the flatter Gorica Quarter (the Christian rich inhabitants)
with the steep Mangalem Quarter (the Ottoman and Islamic side) of Berat. It is the houses on this side of the river that give the city is moniker of “the city of a thousand windows” because they are nestled into the steep hillside. Our guide told us these houses are so intertwined, it is almost like one structure.
St. Micheal’s Church was stuck on the side of the cliff, just below the castle. It is a relatively small church. Later we learned that it was not possible to go inside. The dome was recently replaced because the original had caved in and the interior was damaged.
The next day we walked up the 187 metres (613.5 ft) to the Castle. It was a steep trail but we enjoyed the walk and appreciated the exercise. The site of this settlement dates back to the 7th-5th century BC. The settlement transformed into a fortified castle with walls stretching an impressive 1400 metres (4593 ft). It was even referred to in a document dating back to 216 BC.
We hired a guide, who actually grew up inside the castle walls. He told us that when he was a boy there were lots of people who lived there. There were enough people that they even had their own school, which he pointed out. Now, there are only about 200 older people remaining. The young people have moved into the city. The school is closed. The guiding business is good during the summer, but completely dries up in the winter. Which got me thinking, how do they stay warm in these old stone houses?
Even though the site is on top of a big hill, it is by no means flat. All the alleys were crooked and steep.
The front part of a building may be 8 or 10 feet above the street, but the back side could only be 3 or 4 feet above it.
He showed us around some of the old churches. One dates back to the 13th century. The others were newer. LOL 15-16th century. There were once 42 churches on site.
He explained that in the Ottoman days the property tax was based on the size of the house as it sits on the ground. That is why all the old houses had the second floor bigger than the ground floor.
We walked up to an observation deck, perhaps the remains of one of the 24 towers that used to sit along the old walls. We had a commanding view of the old quarters and the bridge. We saw a church and a mosque sharing the same square, demonstrating the harmony between the two religions.
The walk back down the other side of the mountain had us walking along a cypress lined street.
We walked pas the Gate of Pasha, which was built in the latter part of the 18th century by the same guy (Ahmet Kurt Pasha) who built the Gorica Bridge.
Past the gate and inside the courtyard, was the former Palace of the Pasha. Incredibly, the palace was in use until 1945.
We headed to the square that we had seen from the lookout at the Castle. The church was the Cathedral of St. Demetrius. The original Cathedral was build after a devastating earthquake in 1851 that claimed 400 lives. The inhabitants vowed to build a church dedicated to St. Demetrius to seek protection against future disasters. Unfortunately it was demolished during Albania’s communist era and replaced by a government building. After the fall of communism, and the resurgence of religious freedom, the Orthodox Church in Albania spearheaded the rebuilding of many damaged sites, including this one. It was very austere, with wooden chairs, not pews. There were not many pictures on the walls. However, the alter was very nice. For a newly built church, it did have the look and feel of a much older one.
Outside of the church there were brightly decorated candles for sale in preparation for the upcoming Easter celebration. There were also lots of egg shaped candles.
Across the square was the Lead Mosque. The name comes from the lead coating on the sphere shaped domes. It was built in the 1530s and somehow managed to remain standing despite the communist rule. The inside was quite plain but it had really nice, colourful and modern looking windows.
We went to the Medieval Centre, which used to be the city’s centre. The complex included the King Mosque which had a beautiful mezzanine and ceiling.
The Helviti Tekke (a prayer hall for the Sufi sect of Islam) was locked but had a window open, so I managed to snap a couple pictures through it.
The living quarters for the dervishes who performed religious ceremonies in the Tekke had two levels. The lower level was for the animals. It is now offices.
There were remnants of a few old graves. Some of the buildings go back to the 15th century. WWI and WWII were not kind to the centre and many of the buildings suffered significant damage. The school and library were destroyed.
From afar, we could see the dome of what looked like a big church. We headed in that direction only to find out it was the Colombo Hotel. It reminded me more of a legislature building, with its domed roof and columns.
We walked along the Osum River and through Osum Park back toward our Airbnb. We stopped in an artisan’s shop where we watched as he meticulously chiselled fantastic scenes out of a block of wood.
Other stand-out moments or observations:
There are tobacco shops everywhere. Lots of people smoke.
There are vending machines on the street selling snacks, drinks and cigarettes.
There are Kitkat and Oreo flavoured breakfast cereal.
The fruits and vegetables have a lot more flavour than those in Canada. Even the onions taste better.
We left our lovely little suite and headed to Vlore to have lunch with our friend, Gavin. (Albania-On the Road blog)
After that we headed to Gjirokaster.
An Old Lady with a Backpack 
Leave a comment