Ali Pasha Castle

Ali Pasha Castle, locally known as Kalaja e Ali Pashës, lies south of the town of Ksamil, in the county of Vlorë in Albania.

The castle is situated on an islet, partly surrounded by wetlands, at the mouth of the Vivari Channel. This is a natural channel that connects Lake Butrint to the Ionian Sea and is therefore also often known as the Butrint Channel. Directly opposite the channel mouth lies the Greek island of Corfu. The area is part of the Butrint National Park.

The castle was founded sometime during the late 17th or early 18th century as a fortified farm by a family from Corfu. In 1804, it was seized by Ali Pasha of Ioannina, who was an Albanian ruler who ruled as a very autonomous and quasi-independent Ottoman pasha. He then strengthened the structure and added 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. I have no information about when it was abandoned.

Ali Pasha Castle is freely accessible. Because it is situated on an islet, it is only reachable by boat. Next to the ferry over the Butrint Channel, near the entrance of an archaeological park of the ancient Greek-Roman city of Buthrotum/Butrint, there are however several locals who offer boat rides to the island for a small fee. This area is really a must-see. For the archaeological park of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is great in itself, also holds 2 further fortifications; the Venetian Tower and the Venetian Acropolis Castle. And directly opposite that park is also the Venetian Triangular Castle.

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