An ancient city: Butrint
Remarkable archeological site in southwest Albania
Hello fellow readers, hope you’ve all been well. Firstly, it’s been a short while that I haven’t posted anything on my blog; this is because I was away on a short holiday in the south coast of Albania. This year I wanted to see the most astonishing beaches I’ve been hearing about, which are found in Saranda and Ksamil. However, I will write about the best parts of my holiday in Saranda and Ksamil in my next post.
Whereas, today’s post I am eager to tell you about a special visit I made to a historical site called Butrint. This is a must visit to anyone near the area, you will be sincerely amazed. Butrint is about 14 km south from Saranda and near to the Greek border.
Butrint, in antiquity it was known as Bouthroton, in ancient Greek times it was known as Bouthrotos and in Latin Buthrotum. Today it is known as Butrint, it is a port from Hellenistic to Ottoman periods; and it is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest Albania.
Butrint is found on a big hill, close to the Straits of Corfu, and surrounded by a picturesque lagoon the ‘Vivari Channel’; it is one of the most outstanding archaeological sites in the Adriatic Sea region.
It is clear that there have been many years of archaeological diggings and major investment in the managing of the site, thus making the spot and it’s museum a great exploration for visitors. On this note I’d like to mention that during my visit, there were lots of groups from different nationals such as French, Scandinavian, Macedonian’s and Italian tourists. All of us were in full attention mode listening to our guides telling us about the different historical remains.
Upon entry we are given a map of the tour of the ancient city we are about to be exposed to. The route of the walk round Butrint is a very organized pathway allowing you to see all of the different points on the map. At each location you’ll find additional info depicting the era they belong to.
From the very beginning of the entry into the Butrint site you get a feeling of transformation as if you are walking back in time. Really amazing thoughts begin lingering in ones mind, imagining the people that had lived here many hundred of years ago.
Walking through the ancient site, one begins constructing filmic thoughts in ones mind about how each different settlement led their lifestyles here. One wonders continuously with such awe how the different generations had build the city each time, what tools they have used to build their buildings, how they had lifted these enormous mega rocks?
Butrint has been inhibited since prehistoric times – initially it was a city of the Greek Tribe of the Chaonians, later a Roman colony and bishopric. Abandoned in the Middle Ages since a huge earthquake had flooded the city. After that, The Venetian Republic purchased Butrint, with the island of Corfu, in 1386 from the Angevins Kings of southern Italy. The Venetian presence at Butrint was rather a territory on the Ottoman mainland, so the relations between these two empires ruled the fate of Butrint. In 1797, Ali Pasha of Tepelena, marking the end of the Venetian presence on the mainland, occupied Butrint.
The most distinctive locations on the site for me were:
The Roman Theater; astonishing from each point of view one looks at it. You feel so tall standing upon the seating area, so intelligently laid out in a semi circle. This is one of the oldest remains from the Greek period.
I really liked the Castle at the top of the hill; one gets a wide perspective on the green land. One gets carried away and imagines the overlook of the land from the top as a military member of those times and perhaps imagines the military action that might of taken place in retrospect.
The Museum is the final feed of info you get showing us how Butrint formed a lasting legacy, over the years the site became a key theatre of interest, first for painters – such beautiful landscapes to paint, artists and grand tourists, and finally for archaeologist. One is exposed to all the artifacts found by the archeologists, an excellent exposure of pottery, jewelry, money coin, and statues, even remains of an infant.
The spectacular and gigantic trees and lots of forest like green areas reflected such age.
If you are a fan of history and are in Saranda, Ksamil or Corfu then do vist Butrint, you’ll rember the experience forever.
Here are some more weblinks for your perusal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buthrotum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butrint_National_Park
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/570/gallery/
Thanks for reading :)
Till next time
Daffi
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