Butrint

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city and a bishopric. Following a period of prosperity under Byzantine administration, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was abandoned in the late Middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development.

Albania

District of Sarandë, County of Vlorë

N39 45 4 E20 1 34

Date of Inscription: 1992

Extension: 1999

Minor modification inscribed year: 2007

Criteria: (iii)

Property : 3,980 ha

Buffer zone: 4,611 ha

Ref: 570ter

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra

Brief Description

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.

Albania

N40 4 10 E20 7 60

Date of Inscription: 2005

Extension: 2008

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 59 ha

Buffer zone: 136 ha

Ref: 569bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org