Berati Demo
Self-Guided Audio Tour

Berat has been inhabited since ancient times. It is a city and south central municipality with outstanding examples of late Ottoman era architecture. Berat contains the Illyrian citadel dating back to the 4th century BCE. The dwellings on steep slopes, were constructed with stone base levels, and lighter timber framed walls with projecting windowed rooms to catch the southern light. Berat is known as the 'town of a thousand windows'. Renowned for woodworking crafts, Berat was designated a 'Museum City' in 1961. It is also called as the city where, windows stand one above the other. Being one of the most important cities of the Illyrian kingdom, it was inhabited by a large tribe: the Dasarets. During the Illyrian-Roman and Macedonian-Roman wars, the city was taken once by the Macedonians and another time by the Illyrians. It is interesting to know that Ptolemy Lagos was born in Berat, the son of Philip of Macedon and the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, which began after the death of Alexander the Great and continues until the death of Cleopatra. In 200 AD the city was dominated by Romans. Regarding the name of the city, there are several hypotheses. The ancient city named Bargul. This name is also mentioned by Titus Livy when he talks about the Roman-Macedonian treaty of 205 BC, signed in the city of Dimal. This name, which means white in the Illyrian language, was later retained in the Byzantine and Slavic tradition, while the other name, Antipatrea, was mentioned by the Dasarets, which today is the area between Korca and Pogradec. In 860, the first Bulgarian invasion began in Berat, which lasted until 927, until the Byzantine domination was restored, which continued until the end of 969. After that, the second Bulgarian invasion began immediately, which finally left in 1018. The Bulgarian invasion, in the second phase, baptized Berat with the name Belgrade, the white fortress.

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Mangalem and Gorica are two neighborhoods of the city of Berat, standing in harmony with the terrain on which they are built, using the architectural language carefully. These neighborhoods together with the castle, still inhabited, make up the three most characteristic complexes of the city. The "Mangalem" neighborhood complex is a precious gem in the art of construction. It has the shape of an elegant pyramid that imitates the silhouette of the hill, on the top of which the castle is built. This composition is characterized by the large number of windows, from which it takes the name "city of a thousand and one windows". Down, in Muslim Mangalem quarter, there are three grand mosques: the Sultan's Mosque, the Lead Mosque and the Bachelors' Mosque. All are worth a visit, and each has its own idiosyncratic design and history. The 16th-century Sultan's Mosque is one of the oldest in Albania. The Helveti tekke behind the mosque, has a beautiful carved ceiling, and was specially designed with acoustic holes, to improve the quality of sound during meetings. The Helveti, like the Bektashi, are a dervish order, or brotherhood, of Muslim mystics. The big mosque on the town square, is the 16th-century Lead Mosque, named because of the lead coating its sphere-shaped dome. The 19th-century Bachelors' Mosque is founded near the Osumi River. This mosque was built for unmarried shop assistants, and junior craftsmen, and is perched between some fine Ottoman-era shopfronts, along the river.

Gorica is the neighborhood opposite Mangalem, that never sees the sun during winter. The area is decorated with cobbled paved streets, stone houses and small orthodox churches. Other houses are in the interior of the Osum River, or along the hill, a configuration which gives the city the appearance of an amphitheater. Following the Ottoman conquest, Gorica quarter remained the Christian Quarter with two churches – Saint Spyridon’s Church, and Church of Saint Thomas.

Castle District. The castle has remained faithful to its layout of the 4th century BC, but adapted through time. It is the most ancient monument, with an area of 9.6 ha, which rises on a hill 187 m high, rebuilt several times during castle's history. It is located in the upper part of the city, and has high surrounding walls. 24 towers of different shapes and dimensions, which separate these walls, were built in different periods. Castle is built with giant stones in a square shape. In the Byzantine period, the castle was on Justinian's list of fortifications. The great wall, surrounds the hill, which dominates the current city of Berat, and has the shape of an arrow pointing north. In the northern part where the main gate is located, a well-fortified courtyard has been built. It is one of the first constructions of this type, carried out in the Middle Ages, in order to deflect direct attacks. In the south-eastern part, is an elaborately constructed water cistern, which was able to hold fresh water. In order to provide water in the late Middle Ages, a gallery was built in the southern part, through which, water was transported from the river to the castle. In the highest part of the castle, is also an acropolis surrounded by walls, inside which, are the remains of a military garrison, the remains of the palaces of the Pasha, and the White Mosque. These, dated in the Ottoman period. According to the techniques used, the castle was adapted with time periods. This can be seen in the towers predisposed for cannons, and in the battlements for rifles. These appeared during great Albanian Pasalics, of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Cannons can still be found today along the walls of the castle.