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Chapel of St Michael
Perched on a cliff ledge below the citadel is the artfully positioned little chapel of St Michael (Shën Mihell), best viewed from the Gorica quarter across the river.
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Kulla
A visit to this fascinating lock-in tower gives you an idea of the kind of life those condemned by their family ties would lead as they waited, protected, during a blood feud.
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Museum of Archaeology
This officelike building houses a well-preserved 6th-century mosaic floor in its basement and has an interesting display about nearby Butrint. Its one block behind the harbour.
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Clock Tower
Behind the mosque is the tall clock tower, which you can climb for impressive views of the square. Further on up the street, look for the socialist realist statue of the Unknown Partisan .
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Castle of Lëkurësit
This former castle is now a restaurant with superb views over Saranda and Butrint lagoon, especially at sunset. A taxi there costs about 1000 lekë return; arrange a time for the driver to pick you up, or its a 15-minute walk up from the Saranda–Tirana road.
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Palace of Culture
To the east of Sheshi Skënderbej is the white stone Palace of Culture, which has a theatre, shops and art galleries. Construction of the palace began as a gift from the Soviet people in 1960 and was completed in 1966, years after the 1961 Soviet–Albanian split.
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Sheshi Skënderbej
Skanderbeg Sq is the best place to start witnessing Tiranas daily goings-on. Until it was pulled down by an angry mob in 1991, a 10m-high bronze statue of Enver Hoxha stood here, watching over a mainly car-free square. Now only the equestrian statue of Skanderbeg remains.
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Bazaar
This Ottoman-style bazaar is the countrys best place for souvenir shopping and has antique gems and quality traditional wares, including beautifully embroidered tablecloths, copper coffee pots and plates. You can watch women using looms to make kilims (rugs) and purchase the result
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Statue of the Unknown Partisan
The socialist-realist Statue of the Unknown Partisan seems to be aiming his weapons at the Parliament building (1924) down the road. At the foot of the statue day-labourers wait for work, some with their own jackhammers - a fitting image of the precarious position of the postcommun
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Ethem Bey Mosque
To one side of Skanderbeg Sq, the 1789–1823 Ethem Bey Mosque was spared destruction during the atheism campaign of the late 1960s because of its status as a cultural monument. Small and elegant, its one of the oldest buildings left in the city. Take your shoes off to look inside at
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Skanderbeg Museum
Designed by Enver Hoxhas daughter and son-in-law, this museum opened in 1982, and its spacious seven-level interior displays replicas of armour and paintings depicting Skanderbegs struggle against the Ottomans. The museum is something of a secular shrine, and takes itself very seri
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Gjirokastra Museum
This superb new museum is a beautifully lit and presented, fully English-signed display on the long and fascinating history of the town. Some highlights include a 6th century grave containing the skeletons of two small children, as well as information on such luminaries connected w
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Skenduli House
The latest Ottoman-era mansion to receive a (partial) renovation, the Skenduli House is well worth a visit and desperately needs contributions to pay for the remaining restoration work. Youll most likely be shown around by Mr Skenduli himself, who speaks Italian and some basic Fren
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Teqe
A short scramble down the cobblestone lane are the remains of a small hammam as well as a functioning teqe – a small place of worship for those practising the Bektashi branch of Islam. This beautifully decorated teqe has been maintained by successive generations of the Dollma famil
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Archaeological Museum
The collection here is comprehensive and impressive in parts, but theres no labelling in any language, nor tours in English offered, so unless this is your field, you may find yourself a little at a loss to get much out of the museum. A total renovation is on the cards, but as one
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Fortress of Justinian
If you turn up Rr Murat Toptani, behind the National Art Gallery, youll pass the 6m-high walls of the Fortress of Justinian, the last remnants of a Byzantine-era castle. These days half a cinema/nightclub overflows over the top. East from here, on the corner of Rr Presidenti George
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Army Museum
As well as photos of the partisan resistance against the Italians and a vast number of rifles and machine guns, its possible to visit the cells where political prisoners were kept between 1929 and 1968. Its a humbling experience indeed. Look for the seven windows that face the town
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Congress Building
A creation of the former dictators daughter and son-in-law, the square Congress Building is on Tiranas main ceremonial avenue. Follow Rr Ismail Qemali two streets north of the Congress Building and enter the once totally forbidden but now totally trendy Blloku area. This former Com
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Martyrs Cemetery
At the top of Rr Elbasanit is the Martyrs Cemetery, where some 900 partisans who died in WWII are buried. The views over the city and surrounding mountains are excellent, as is the sight of the immense and strangely androgynous Mother Albania statue (1972). Hoxha was buried here in
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Amphitheatre of Durrës
The Amphitheatre of Durrës was built on the hillside inside the city walls in the early 2nd century AD. In its prime it had the capacity to seat 15,000 to 20,000 spectators, but these days a few inhabited houses occupy the stage, a reminder of its recent rediscovery (in 1966) and e
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