Gjirokaster
| Gjirokastër | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Old City of Gjirokastër
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 Gjirokastër
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| Coordinates: 40°04′N 20°08′E / 40.067°N 20.133°ECoordinates: 40°04′N 20°08′E / 40.067°N 20.133°E | |||
| Country |
 Albania
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| County | Gjirokastër | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Zamira Rami (SMI) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Municipality | 469.25 km2 (181.18 sq mi) | ||
| • Administrative Unit | 5.25 km2 (2.03 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Municipality | 25,301 | ||
| • Municipality density | 54/km2 (140/sq mi) | ||
| • Administrative Unit | 19,836 | ||
| • Administrative Unit density | 3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal Code | 6001–6003 | ||
| Area Code | (0)84 | ||
| Vehicle registration | AL | ||
| Website | |||
| Official name | The Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra | ||
| Type | Cultural | ||
| Criteria | iii, iv | ||
| Designated | 2005 | ||
| Reference no. | 569 | ||
| Region | Gjirokastër County | ||
| Europe | 2005–present | ||
Gjirokastër (Albanian pronunciation: [ɟiɾokastəɾ]), also known as Argyrokastro) is a historical city in southern Albania. It is situated in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drin, at 300 metres above sea level. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site described as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". The city is overlooked by Gjirokastër Fortress, where the Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival is held every five years. It is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and notable writer Ismail Kadare.
The city appears in the historical record dating back in 1336 by its Greek name, Argyrokastro, as part of the Byzantine Empire. It became part of the Orthodox Christian doecese of Dryinoupolis and Argyrokastro after the destruction of nearby Adrianoupolis. Gjirokastër later became the center of the principality ruled by John Zenevisi (1373–1417) before falling under Ottoman rule for the next five centuries. Throughout the Ottoman era Gjirokastër was officially known in Ottoman Turkish as Ergiri and also Ergiri Kasrı. During the Ottoman period conversions to Islam and an influx of Muslim converts from the surrounding countryside made Gjirokastër go from being an overwhelmingly Christian city in the 16th century into one with a large Muslim population by the early 19th century. Gjirokastër also became a major religious centre for Bektashi Sufism. Taken by the Hellenic Army during the Balkan Wars of 1912–3 on account of its large Greek population, it was eventually incorporated into the newly independent state of Albania in 1913. This proved highly unpopular with the local Greek population, who rebelled; after several months of guerrilla warfare, the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was established in 1914 with Gjirokastër as its capital. It was definitively awarded to Albania in 1921. In more recent years, the city witnessed anti-government protests that lead to the Albanian civil war of 1997.
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Wikipedia