Albania Albania - Butrint
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| Albania - Butrint |
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Butrint is a major archeoligal site in Albania. It has been included in the
World Heritage list of UNESCO. Butrint occupies a small peninsula between the Straits of Corfu and Lake
Butrint. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek
colony, a Roman city, and a bishopric. Following a period of prosperity under
Byzantine administration, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was
abandoned in the late Middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present
archaeological site is a repository of the ruins representing each period in the
city’s development. The limits of the World Heritage site were expanded in 1999
to include not only the walled city from the Greek and Roman period
(approximately 16 ha), but an additional 184 ha to better protect the site.
From Corfu to Saranda Tickets are bought from the ticket office on the quayside or on board. A single ticket costs approx. €15. Tickets are valid only for the ferry for which they were bought - therefore it may be advisable to buy your return ticket separately so that you can choose your preferred return time and ferry. Before boarding a ferry you must go to the Greek passport control office further along the quayside to hand over your passport and to obtain a boarding pass. Wait to board the ferry until the customs official or boat Captain calls out your name. Your passport will be retained by the ferry Captain for the duration of the voyage in order to prepare your documents and visa for the Albanian port officials. At Saranda, customs officials board the ferry for passport control. There is an entry visa fee of €10 or $10 for all nationalities. On paying the entry fee your passport will be stamped and returned to you together with a small white card - this is your exit visa and should be kept carefully, as leaving the country without it is complicated. You should not attempt to disembark the ferry before completing this procedure. When leaving Albania , first go to the police office immediately to the right of the entrance to the port, hand in your white exit visa card and have your passport stamped. Then go to the ferry and wait to board. The ferry times allow just enough time for a day trip to Butrint. If you wish to see other sites in the area, you will need to stay overnight in Saranda. On arriving in Corfu all passengers may be held on the boat for some minutes. On disembarking, proceed immediately to the Greek customs office for a baggage check before leaving the port. From Saranda to Butrint By coach or taxi: Some of the ferry companies have arrangements with tour operators in Saranda for inclusive day trips to Butrint. Tourists are often transported to Saranda on the Flying Dolphin and then by coaches from the port to Butrint. Taxis are also available for hire at the port - but agree a price for the day as it is difficult to find taxis in Butrint in the afternoon. A good daily rate for at taxi is €40-50, or 5,500 – 7000 leke. Cheaper taxis can be found by walking into Saranda town or to the main road on the far side of the bay of Saranda (15 minutes). The journey time from Saranda to Butrint is about 20 minutes. From the road there are spectacular views across Lake Butrint to the ancient city of Butrint and out across the Corfu Straits. Driving: Driving in Albania can be an adventure, so check with your Embassy first for advice. Many roads are unsurfaced and impassable without a four-wheel drive vehicle. Butrint is 19 km from Saranda. To drive there, turn right out of the port. At the first junction, marked by a tree, go straight ahead , across the main road and follow the smaller road into town. Stay on this road until you reach the main square. From this square take the lower, right-hand road, which joins the main road out of Saranda. After 200 m, where the road rises, turn right onto the road for Ksamili and Butrint. Note that there are numerous petrol stations in Saranda but only one between Saranda and Butrint, located at Ksamili. From Ioannina to Butrint From Kakavia follow the road north, towards Gjirokastra. After approximately 10 km, just after the village of Jergucati, turn left and follow this road over the mountains. On the descent there is a choice of roads, both of which go to Saranda. The main road to the left, which follows the valley of the Bistrice river, is the better road. The other, much poorer, road goes via the town of Delvina . At the foot of the mountains there is the source of the Bistrice river. At the head of the river there is a wonderful freshwater spring, known as the Blue Eye (Syri Kaltër), where the clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a stunning, 50 m-deep pool. It is well worth a visit. To get there, stop at the bar and shop on the main road, at the foot of the mountains, and ask for directions. A small track takes you past a fish farm and lake, to the Blue Eye and its small visitor centre/restaurant. The main road follows the course of the Bistrice, along a gorge. After a few miles, where the gorge opens out, you will come to the monastery of Mesopotam. The town of Saranda is a further 10 km along the road. You enter the town on the south side of the bay from the hill above. At the bottom of the hill, take the turning on the left. Butrint is 19 km along this road, after the village of Ksamili . From Gjirokastra to Butrint Travelling to Saranda by private yacht Sights: Entry fees: Address: You should allow approx. three hours to visit the Park. An English language
guidebook to the monuments of Butrint is on sale at the Park ticket office, or
can be purchased directly from the Butrint Foundation. At Butrint there are several small bars and a restaurant that specialise in fish and seafood dishes. The mussels are particularly good. Some bars and restaurants will accept US dollars or Euros although it is easier if you have Albanian leke. There is one small hotel-restaurant in Butrint (the Livia). Close by, in Ksamili, there are a number of restaurants and hotels. In Saranda: Just 100 m along the road out of Saranda towards Butrint there are some good restaurants and hotels. On the sea-front there is the Paradise Club, a favourite haunt of foreign visitors to the area, and behind this there is Ylli's restaurant. A little way along the front (but still close to the Paradise Club) is the Hotel Byzantine, and high up on the hill above Saranda is Bubeqi's Guest House, with beautiful views over the bay. Close to the seashore is a small guesthouse called Tate, with the Three Roses restaurant nearby. Genci's hotel and restaurant is located by the bus station and near the port there is Llambro's Hotel. On Corfu : the Hotel Atlantis (tel: (00) 30 661 35560, fax: (00) 30 661 46480) is close to the main port and offers a friendly, English-speaking service and useful information for those travelling to Albania. History:The city of Butrinti (Bothrota) is one of the fragments which form the fabric of Albania's ancient cultural landscape. Nestling in the highlands in the far south of the country and surrounded by dense vegetation, Butrinti was doubly protected by nature and by the fortifications which its inhabitants built in ancient times. However, this was not sufficient to isolate the city from the rest of the world. Less than ten kilometers from the island of Corfu, Butrinti was linked to the Mediterranean by the Vivari canal, which ran from the Butrinti Lake to the Ionian Sea. The amphitheater of Butrinti and its surroundings (Photo by Petrit Omeri) The proximity of the sea and the lake, the gentle climate and the beauty of the surrounding countryside provided a splendid environment for the foundation of a city. In taking advantage of this site, the architects of the past constructed what was to become one of the major maritime and commercial centers of the Ancient World. Butrinti reached the height of its glory in the 4th century B.C., at which time the city numbered 10,000 inhabitants. The sight of the fortifications alone, which date from the 6th century B.C., evokes the military and economic potential of the city at that time. The hill on which the acropolis stands is encircled by a wall built of huge stone blocks. In places this wall is two meters high and 3.5 meters wide. The amphitheater, dating from the 3rd century B.C., bears witness to the cultural riches of the city. The stone banks of seating, of which twenty-three rows have been preserved, would have held an audience of 1,500. The theater is situated at the foot of the acropolis, close by two temples, one of which is dedicated to Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine, who was worshiped by the city's inhabitants. Approximately thirty inscriptions, almost all in ancient Greek, carved the western facade of this temple, and another hundred or so found on a tower which was rebuilt in the 1st century B.C., are the only examples of writing discovered in Butrinti. These inscriptions are mainly concerned with the liberation of slaves.
Excavations have brought to light many objects - plates, vases, ceramic candle sticks - as well as sculptures, including a remarkable "Goddess of Butrinti," which seems to completely embody, in the perfection of its features, the Greek ideal of physical beauty. For centuries, the walls faithfully defended Butrinti, but no wall is invincible, and these huge blocks of stone finally ceded to the assault of the Roman legions which landed on the Adriatic and Ionian shores in the 2nd century B.C. Under the rule of the occupiers, Butrinti was to fall slowly into decadence. In spite of this, three monumental fountains, three public baths, a gymnasium decorated with mosaics, and especially the aqueduct constructed during the reign of Augustus, prove that the site was not completely abandoned. Augustus also oversaw the reconstruction of all the ancient city walls and the erection of new fortifications. Christianity brought new life to Butrinti. The palaeo-Christian period adorned the city with two basilicas and a baptistry, which is among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean region. Sixteen granite columns, forming two concentric circles, support the roof of the main hall. The floor is paved with a magnificent mosaic representing the Tree of Life and decorated with medallions embellished with animal motifs. Barbarian incursions and Norman raids in the eleventh century, a catastrophic earthquake in 1153, conquest by the Venetians in 1386, the subterranean infiltration of water and the subsequent epidemics completed the ruin of the city and forced the inhabitants to flee. Butrinti was buried in silence and oblivion. Throughout the occupation by the Ottoman Empire, from the 15th to the 20th centuries, the city remained in deep slumber. The waters covered Butrinti in mud, and abundant vegetation completely hid the remains from view. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that systematic excavations were carried out at Butrinti by the Italian archeologist I. Ugolini, followed by his compatriots P. Marconi and D. Mustili. Between 1928 and 1941, the ground was cleared and the ancient city gradually began to reveal its hidden treasures. Following the liberation of Albania in 1944, Albanian archeologists undertook more ambitious excavations. In turn, the ramparts, the acropolis, the agora, the amphitheater, the temples, public baths and private residences re-emerged into the light of day. The entire city arose, almost intact, under the fascinated gaze of the archeologists. The mud and vegetation that covered Butrinti had protected it from the natural and human ravages of time. Today, this rediscovered city represents a unique cultural treasure whose
value far surpasses national frontiers. The importance of Butrinti can be gauged
from its inclusion in 1992 on UNESCO's World Heritage List |
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