Are you captivated by history and archaeological sites? Yes, then Butrint is an excursion for you. Only 20 km south of Saranda you will find Albania's most visited World Heritage Site.
Butrint is an archaeological site in the southernmost part of Albania and belongs to the district of Saranda. The city has been populated since ancient times. The first settlement is 3000 years old. Butrint was an important Greek and Roman city and the archaeological site is now the most visited World Heritage Site in Albania.
A historical landscape
Butrint, located in southern Albania about 20 km from Saranda, has a special atmosphere created by a combination of archaeology, monuments and Mediterranean nature. The inland landscape has developed organically over many centuries and Butrint has escaped the kind of development that has reduced the cultural heritage of most other historic landscapes in the Mediterranean area. Butrint thus constitutes a very rare combination of nature and archaeology.
History
From 800 BC and until the arrival of the Romans, Butrint was influenced by Greek culture. Year 44 BC the Romans took over Butrint and it became a Roman colony and they expanded the area considerably. In the fourth century AD Butrint became an episcopal center. It was fortified and significant early Christian structures were built. After a period of abandonment, Butrint was reconstructed under Byzantine control in the ninth century. Butrint and its territory came under Angevin and then Venetian control in the 14th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, a new fortress was added to Butrint's defense system at the mouth of the Vivari Canal. It was built by Ali Pasha, an Albanian Ottoman ruler who controlled Butrint and the area until its final abandonment. The development of nature in Butrint led to the abandonment of the city at the end of the Middle Ages, as a result of which this archaeological site provides valuable evidence of ancient and medieval civilizations in Albania.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Butrint has been occupied since 50,000 BC. according to the earliest evidence, and forth to the 1800s AD Archaeological excavations have been going on here since the 1920s and there is a large amount of buildings here and the oldest are from the 8th century BC. The town has a well-preserved ancient bathhouse and an ancient theater. The city wall, which is from the fourth century BC. still exists. Here you can also find the baptistery, which is an old Roman monument adapted to the needs of Christianity. Its floor is adorned with a beautiful mosaic decoration. You will also find an amphitheater, the paleo-Christian basilica that was built in the 8th century and a castle/fortress that also functions as a museum today. Butrint National Park was inscribed on the National Heritage List of Protected Monuments in 1948 and is therefore a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Imagine sitting on a stone bench in the amphitheater where people have sat and enjoyed theater for millennia."
Tips
You can also easily go here by bus from Saranda and it takes about 40 minutes and costs 100 lek (1 euro). Taxi or rental car is also a good option. Guided tours also go here and you can, for example, book with LEKA TOURS.
The archaeological site opens at 8.00 in the morning and if you want some peace and quiet it can be an advantage to be an early riser as this is a well-visited place and busloads often arrive here around 10-11 in the morning.
A visit for the history buff.
This is definitely a place for those who are interested in history and archaeological finds, but even if you didn't get top grades in history at school, Butrint is a beautiful place that also interests the common man. Well worth a visit.
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