Gjirokastër celebrates two decades on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, remaining one of Albania’s top cultural and historical destinations.

On this anniversary, Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images of the city, calling it “forever a treasure of the soul” in a message posted on social media.

By the end of June this year, Gjirokastër Castle, also known as the Castle of Argjiro, had welcomed 100,000 visitors. The castle, the city’s most prominent monument, rises proudly on a hilltop, resembling a ship receiving local and foreign guests.

Gjirokastra, often called the “The City in Stone,” was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2005. It stands as one of the few surviving Ottoman-style commercial towns in the Balkans.

Located in southern Albania, the city ranks among the country’s most picturesque. Its castle lies on a hill just below Mount Gjerë, at an altitude of about 370 metres above sea level.

/a.p./