Kaninë Castle

The Castle of Kaninë is located 6 km from the coastal city of Vlora. It stands on a hill about 380 meters above sea level, on which lie the ruins of the ancient city of Kaninë. The view from the castle is closed to the south by Mount Shashica, but it has a wide panorama in the other three directions and can be considered as the point that marks the beginning of the Southern Riviera of Albania. Archaeological evidence clearly shows that our ancestors, the Illyrians, first built the castle, and it has always been inhabited throughout history. The castle was rebuilt, like many other fortresses, by Justinian in the 5th century and later by other Albanian feudal lords until the late Middle Ages. Kaninë has served over the centuries both as a military fortress and a fortified city, but also as the feudal residence of the family of Gjergj Araniti, the father of Donika Kastrioti. The Illyrian walls of the castle, in terms of technique, resemble those of Amantia and Byllis, and from the form of the ruins, we can clearly distinguish a fortified town. Its favorable geographical position above the Vlora River valley and the roads that facilitated the connection between the coastal area and the inland part of the country made the Castle of Kaninë one of the most important historical sites in Albania — both as a fortress and as a feudal residence — also thanks to its favorable climate, fauna, and local traditions. The surrounding wall, which encloses the highest part of the hill, is 1 km long, has three fortified entrance gates with defensive towers, and the existing castle covers an area of 3.6 hectares. The castle had more than 14 towers and several walls built at different times. Within the enclosure, there were residential houses, buildings for the garrison, ammunition depots, cisterns for water supply, as well as palaces, religious structures such as churches and mosques, etc. From the main surrounding walls open three gates named by the locals: the Village Gate to the south, the King’s Gate to the north, and the Bey’s Gate to the east. The castle also had one of the earliest clocks in one of its towers — that of Zejnel Pasha — which still stands partially upright.