The Council of Ministers officially declared the archaeological area ‘A’ of Gradisht i Selces in the municipality of Pogradec as immovable cultural property.

During the government meeting, zoning for the archaeological area ‘A’ of Gradisht i Selces in the Pogradec municipality was approved, which coordinates and maps outlined in the Albanian Geodetic Reference Frame.

Additionally, the plan outlining the preservation, protection, and administration of this area was approved, as outlined in the attached document accompanying this decision.

The responsibility for registering this decision in the cadastral maps lies with the State Agency of Cadastre, in compliance with the regulations stipulated in Law No. 111/2018, ‘On Cadastre,’ and its related by-laws.

The State Authority for Geospatial Information has been assigned the responsibility of publishing the map of the archaeological area ‘A’ of Gradisht i Selces on the National Geoportal.

Simultaneously, the Council of Ministers has revoked the decision ‘On the announcement of the archaeological area “A” of Gradishta e Selce, Pogradec District, and the approval of the administration regulation.

The implementation of the decision falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, and the municipality of Pogradec.

The tombs of Selca are of royal significance, belonging to the princes and princesses of the ancient city of Pelion. These two-story monumental tombs are carved into the rocks, situated atop a picturesque green hill in the village of Selca e Poshtme, Pogradec. Initially discovered in the 1940s, they were fully excavated in 1971.

Initial excavations conducted by archaeologists suggest that the ruins of an entire ancient city lay concealed beneath Selca and the Gradishta hills. This significant discovery holds the promise of revealing the history of an important ancient civilization. The tombs of Selce have been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 1996. A comprehensive exploration and unveiling of these tombs could potentially lead to the full UNESCO listing of this ancient civilization.

/m.ll/