Dajti Castle

Dajti Castle, or the Dajti settlement, is the most important Late Antiquity monument in the Tirana region, as it is the largest and best-preserved among them (4th–6th century AD). The morphology of the mountain slope (terrain) determined the shape of the castle itself: triangular, pyramid-like, with a surrounding fortification wall about 550 meters long, covering an area of 1.3 hectares. Due to the mostly steep terrain, the builders used terraced walls, on top of which dwellings were constructed, ranging from 5 to 15 meters in width. The fortification system includes two towers — one circular and one semi-circular — as well as a small acropolis located at the summit. The only entrance discovered so far is 1.5 meters wide and is located near the semi-circular tower. The wall thickness varies between 1.6 and 2.7 meters. For the construction of the walls, medium-sized stones bonded with lime and sand mortar were used. In various parts of the castle, walls up to 2 meters in height are still preserved. Inside and around the outer area of the castle, numerous fragments of roof tiles have been found.