Tower houses in the Balkans

A distinctive type of Ottoman tower houses (singular: Albanian: kullë; Bulgarian: кули, kuli; Serbian: kуле, all meaning "towers", from Persian qulla, meaning "mountain" or "top" via Turkish ) developed and were built in the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo,Macedonia and Serbia), as well as in Romania, after the Ottoman conquest in the Middle Ages by both Christian and Muslim communities. The practice began during the decline of Ottoman power in the 17th century and flourished until the early 20th century. The tower houses were typically made out of stone, rose three or four storeys, and were square or rectangular in shape. They served both military (defence, watchtower) and civilian (residential) purposes in order to protect the extended family.

Types of towerhouses in Albanian architecture existed before the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans, especially in Gjirokastër. Albanian Kullë are predominantly found in the north of the country, with notable instances in the south being Berat, Gjirokastër,Himara, and Këlcyrë. Kullas are heavily fortified buildings with small windows and shooting holes, because their main purpose was to offer security in a fighting situation. The first Kullas that were built are from the 17th century, a time when there was continuous fighting in the Dukagjini region, although most of the ones that still remain are from the 18th or 19th century. They are almost always built within a complex of buildings with various functions but Kullas in towns exist mostly as standalone structures. They are also positioned within the complex of buildings that they exist in a way that makes it possible for the inhabitants to survey the surrounding area. Kullas in towns are usually built as standalone structures, while in villages they are more commonly found as a part of a larger ensemble of kullas and stone houses, usually grouped based on the family clan they belonged to.

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