Gjirokastra Bazaar Gjirokaster

The neck of the baza... ... (Area)

The heart of the city, where five main roads intersect. The Neck of the Bazaar is filled with people, locals and tourists all day long. Don't be surprised if someone joins you in a conversation. Its inhabitants are very friendly and speak English, French or Greek relatively well.

Gjirokastra bazaar (Area)

The Bazaar of Gjirokastra had mainly two-story facilities, where in the upper floor was made with plastered stone walls and circular windows with stone frames. In the plastered masonry, the white color of lime paint was predominant, but in a restricted area, there were also decorations in plaster with quadrates about 15-20 cm in the color (dark blue) almost black.

The well (Point)

This well is almost 300 years old and it’s believed to have existed before the Bazaar was built. Discovered in 2017, inside the most photographed building in Gjirokastra, otherwise known as the "Hexagon".  The old well can be found today in a souvenir shop and has a height of up to 5 meters; it has been covered since the communism period, when many underground facilities were covered. It is suspected that this is one of the 7 wells connected to the underground system that Ali Pasha Tepelena created in the 1800s to supply water to the houses of Gjirokastra. Much remains unknown about this sophisticated system, but in the meantime another old well has been discovered (in 2020), near the Memi Bey Mosque. The well has a depth of 9 m, although it is filled with water up to 6 m.  The latest discovery in the city is inside a shop owned by a foreign citizen.

Handmade shop (Area)

Embroidery house (Area)

Embroidery house is one of the handicraft workshops in the characteristic bazaar of Gjirokastra, where traditional tantelles are embroidered every day for decorating houses or preparing dowries for new brides.

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Monument to the cont... ... (Point)

This monument was built by the city municipality, to honor the contributing figures of Gjirokastra such as: Eqerem Cabej (1908-1980), an eminent historian, linguist and educator who was a founding member of the Albanian Academy of Sciences and gave his name to Gjirokastra University; Ismail Kadare (1936 - ), the internationally famous Albanian author; Musine Kokalari (1917-1983), a writer and co-founder of the Albanian Social-Democratic Party (1943), who spent 37 years in prison during the communist regime and died, forsaken, in northern Albania; Abdurrauf Fico (1881 - 1944), better known as Rauf Fico, the prominent statesman who left his mark on the history of Albanian diplomacy; Vasil Laboviti (1902 - 1908), well-known doctor, surgeon and gynecologist.

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Unesco inscription (Point)

This plaque commemorates the inscription of Gjirokastra as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

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Woodworking shop (Point)

Anastas Petridhi has been working as a woodcarver following an old passion of his own, for over 30 years. After many years working in Greece as in the new area of Gjirokastra town, Anastas Petridhi decided to work in the museum area, which is under the care of UNESCO.

Stonework shop (Point)

A place where the mission of protecting and developing the local craft tradition continues. Undoubtedly unique in its kind! The shop was opened by a former bronze sculptor in the communist period, master Muhedin Makri. Here you will see extraordinary works, produced from nature's strongest material, stone. The famous craftsman no longer lives, but his profound work does; it’s in every corner of the store, and among them you will also find some portraits of famous Albanian figures.