Ali Pasha Castle
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Description of Ali Pasha Castle
Location: Butrint, Vlore Region
Built: 1819 by
order of Ali Pasha Tepelene
Ali Pasha Castle (Kalaja e Butrintit) is located near Butrint, Vlora Province in Albania. Ali Pasha Castle was constructed on the orders of Ali Pasha of Tepelenë in 1819 by order of Ali Pasha Tepelin. It was found on the base of the 17th century citadel that belonged to Corfiote family. However, the old military fortress of the aristocratic Corfiot family stood here from the 17th century. Ali Pasha quickly conquered the old fort in 1804 and built his own in return. Here he founded his official residence. For his own peace of mind and deciding that the house should be a fortress in the truest sense of the word, he erected walls, towers and added a few guns for the safety of Ali Pasha’s castle.
History
Ali Pasha Castle was built under Venetian dominion in
the late 15th or early 16th century, it provided a stronghold for
the Venetians on Corfu to exploit fishing, grazing, olives and
timber in and around Butrint. The castle was the centrepiece of
numerous conflicts with the burgeoning Ottoman Empire, and changed
hands on several occasions. It was finally destroyed by a retreating
French army in 1798 to prevent it falling into the hands of Ali
Pasha.
The fortification attributed to Ali Pasha at Butrint
lies some 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) due west at the mouth of the
Vivari Channel. This in itself began life in the late 17th or early
18th century as a fortified estate centre belonging to a Corfiote
family that farmed land on the plains south of the ancient city. Ali
Pasha seized control of the structure around 1804 and carried out a
series of defensive improvements including the installation of gun
batteries. Given its small size it is unlikely that the fort
functioned as anything more than a control over access from the sea
to Butrint, and it can not be compared to Ali's more redoubtable
fortresses in the region at Tepelena, Gjirokastra and Ioannina.
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