Porto Palermo Ali Pasha Castle on the Ionian Island
Porto Palermo 2
Beyond the Qeparo coastline, a small bay is situated approximately 2.5 kilometers to the north, well protected from the winds, called Porto Palermo. This harbor is an ancient place: it has been known since antiquity as the Harbor of Epirote. The tribe of Kaon called it “Panormou,â€? and it has been mentioned by ancient Greek and Roman authors in various texts dating back to the fifth century BCE. Porto Palermo is a place endemic to Albania; a place where one can perceive an immediate and barely interrupted understanding of ancient time. Like the massive, misty, sweeping arc of DurrĂŤs (Durrachna) when seen from a distance, Porto Palermo is a landform that simply makes sense as an ancient place. It has indeed supported civilizations in different forms, sometimes quite grand, for millennia.
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Porto Palermo 2
Beyond the Qeparo coastline, a small bay is situated approximately 2.5 kilometers to the north, well protected from the winds, called Porto Palermo. This harbor is an ancient place: it has been known since antiquity as the Harbor of Epirote. The tribe of Kaon called it “Panormou,â€? and it has been mentioned by ancient Greek and Roman authors in various texts dating back to the fifth century BCE. Porto Palermo is a place endemic to Albania; a place where one can perceive an immediate and barely interrupted understanding of ancient time. Like the massive, misty, sweeping arc of DurrĂŤs (Durrachna) when seen from a distance, Porto Palermo is a landform that simply makes sense as an ancient place. It has indeed supported civilizations in different forms, sometimes quite grand, for millennia.
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The Approach to Porto Palermo
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...a breathtaking experience created by the dramatic coastlines formed by vertical sea cliffs‌
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The Approach to Porto Palermo
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...a breathtaking experience created by the dramatic coastlines formed by vertical sea cliffs‌
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The submarine tunnel 6
Porto Palermo Tunnel is claimed to be a submarine bunker built in the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania during the rule of dictator Enver Hoxha. Situated at the northern end of the bay of Porto Palermo, it was used as a key strategic military site, but it is no longer in use as such. The tunnel and the attendant base built to support it, now sit dormant, yet remain a military restriction zone. Recently, there have been developed some ideas to transform the submarine tunnel into a Museum of the civil cold war.
Porto Palermo Tunnel. Source:http://www.myalbania. eu/2015/01/porto-palermo-tunnel.html
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The submarine tunnel 6
Porto Palermo Tunnel is claimed to be a submarine bunker built in the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania during the rule of dictator Enver Hoxha. Situated at the northern end of the bay of Porto Palermo, it was used as a key strategic military site, but it is no longer in use as such. The tunnel and the attendant base built to support it, now sit dormant, yet remain a military restriction zone. Recently, there have been developed some ideas to transform the submarine tunnel into a Museum of the civil cold war.
Porto Palermo Tunnel. Source:http://www.myalbania. eu/2015/01/porto-palermo-tunnel.html
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The harbor and the shoreline
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The harbor is further defined by a microclimate created by the extremely steep hill face of the bay, which collects and radiates what recalls a kind of arid, Baja California summer wind. This curious transposition is completed by the hillside of agave plants in perceptible rows, that, legend has it, were planted here by the Communist military base to produce a kind of local tequila when relations with the outside world were growing pained. Today those plants remain clustered aside the highway and high up on the hill, in the early summer shooting Dr. Seusslike stalks three meters into the air and dangling their seeds into the wind. A small harbor continues to operate in the bay of Porto Palermo where tourist yachts and fishing boats of the surrounding villages anchor.
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The harbor and the shoreline
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The harbor is further defined by a microclimate created by the extremely steep hill face of the bay, which collects and radiates what recalls a kind of arid, Baja California summer wind. This curious transposition is completed by the hillside of agave plants in perceptible rows, that, legend has it, were planted here by the Communist military base to produce a kind of local tequila when relations with the outside world were growing pained. Today those plants remain clustered aside the highway and high up on the hill, in the early summer shooting Dr. Seusslike stalks three meters into the air and dangling their seeds into the wind. A small harbor continues to operate in the bay of Porto Palermo where tourist yachts and fishing boats of the surrounding villages anchor.
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The sea and the fish farm
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Today, just below the rock where the castle is built, there are a series of fish and shellfish farms.
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The sea and the fish farm
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Today, just below the rock where the castle is built, there are a series of fish and shellfish farms.
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The Fortification
On a small peninsula in Porto Palermo, sits the nineteenth-century fortification of Ali Pasha of Tepelenë, one of the heroes of Albanian resistance to foreign rule—a rugged, sly, and controversial figure even here. The layers of history sit quietly side by side, and for as significant as they have been throughout the long history of the Albanian territory, they still do little to offset the attention demanded by the simple, stunning clarity of the aqua blue waters that lap at the bay’s edges. Ali pasha built the Castle of Porto – Palermo for the military garrison to be set there. Among the foreign travelers who visited Albanian and the castle in Porto Palermo during the XIX century (1799 and 1804 respectively) there is the French consul Pouqueville and the British Colonel William Martin Leake. The most detailed descriptions of the castle in Porto Palermo bay comes from the French consul Pouqueville.
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Aerial View of Ali Pasha Castle in Porto Palermo. Photo courtesy: Alket Islami
The Fortification
On a small peninsula in Porto Palermo, sits the nineteenth-century fortification of Ali Pasha of Tepelenë, one of the heroes of Albanian resistance to foreign rule—a rugged, sly, and controversial figure even here. The layers of history sit quietly side by side, and for as significant as they have been throughout the long history of the Albanian territory, they still do little to offset the attention demanded by the simple, stunning clarity of the aqua blue waters that lap at the bay’s edges. Ali pasha built the Castle of Porto – Palermo for the military garrison to be set there. Among the foreign travelers who visited Albanian and the castle in Porto Palermo during the XIX century (1799 and 1804 respectively) there is the French consul Pouqueville and the British Colonel William Martin Leake. The most detailed descriptions of the castle in Porto Palermo bay comes from the French consul Pouqueville.
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Aerial View of Ali Pasha Castle in Porto Palermo. Photo courtesy: Alket Islami
The history of castle construction
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The favorable geographic and strategic position of Porto Palermo was also used in the Middle Ages and especially in the nineteenth century by Ali Pasha, who built the famous hexagonal fortress of Porto Palermo. Ali Pasha constructed the fortress as an advanced bastion to be used in case of emergency departure westward, if the Ottoman forces were to attack him. The building was designed by two architects from Ioannina: one was an Albanian construction master and the other a French military engineer. On the main gate of the fort was a plaque with a warning from Ali Pasha: “Who would dare to touch those walls the black snake will eat his eyes.�
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The history of castle construction
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The favorable geographic and strategic position of Porto Palermo was also used in the Middle Ages and especially in the nineteenth century by Ali Pasha, who built the famous hexagonal fortress of Porto Palermo. Ali Pasha constructed the fortress as an advanced bastion to be used in case of emergency departure westward, if the Ottoman forces were to attack him. The building was designed by two architects from Ioannina: one was an Albanian construction master and the other a French military engineer. On the main gate of the fort was a plaque with a warning from Ali Pasha: “Who would dare to touch those walls the black snake will eat his eyes.�
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The Church in the Castle
Also in the entrance to Porto Palermo bay sits a Christian Orthodox church built by Ali Pasha in the early nineteenth century. This site served as the place of the wedding ceremony as well as the coronation of Ali Pasha. The wedding guests were invited from the four corners of the Pashaluk (eyalet) and gathered in this place to celebrate the ceremony of marriage between Ali Pasha and Vasiliki, famous for her special graces, intelligence, and extreme loyalty to her husband even after his death, despite an age difference of over forty years. Their marriage remains as a symbol of harmony and religious coexistence in the cultural history of Albania, because Pasha was of Bektashi faith whereas his wife was Christian Orthodox.
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Ali Pasha (1740-1822) with his favorite mistress Kira Vassiliki, painting by Raymond Monvoisin. Monvosin painted for the first time a picture of Ali Pasha & Vassiliki in 1832 and exposed it the next year at the Paris Salon; the oil was taken by him with some other 20 pictures when he left France for Chile; now that big picture (345 Ă— 272 cm) is in the Palacio CousiĂąo, in Santiago. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monvoisin,_ Raymond_-_Ali_Pasha_with_his_favourite_mistress_Lira_ Vassiliki_-sothebys2015.jpg
The Church in the Castle
Also in the entrance to Porto Palermo bay sits a Christian Orthodox church built by Ali Pasha in the early nineteenth century. This site served as the place of the wedding ceremony as well as the coronation of Ali Pasha. The wedding guests were invited from the four corners of the Pashaluk (eyalet) and gathered in this place to celebrate the ceremony of marriage between Ali Pasha and Vasiliki, famous for her special graces, intelligence, and extreme loyalty to her husband even after his death, despite an age difference of over forty years. Their marriage remains as a symbol of harmony and religious coexistence in the cultural history of Albania, because Pasha was of Bektashi faith whereas his wife was Christian Orthodox.
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Ali Pasha (1740-1822) with his favorite mistress Kira Vassiliki, painting by Raymond Monvoisin. Monvosin painted for the first time a picture of Ali Pasha & Vassiliki in 1832 and exposed it the next year at the Paris Salon; the oil was taken by him with some other 20 pictures when he left France for Chile; now that big picture (345 Ă— 272 cm) is in the Palacio CousiĂąo, in Santiago. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monvoisin,_ Raymond_-_Ali_Pasha_with_his_favourite_mistress_Lira_ Vassiliki_-sothebys2015.jpg
the legend of Ali Pasha & Vasiliki wedding ceremony
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Of all of Ali Pasha’s various military and diplomatic achievements, the legend of his marriage persists as a definitional story. Pasha was a Bektashi Muslim and his wife Christian Orthodox. In a shocking move to his constituency, the Muslim monarch agreed to make the marriage ceremony inside the Christian chapel near the sea, which still stands today. No one can explain why Pasha left the capital, Ioannina (Janina), for this distant place. Perhaps it was the view, or the relative remoteness from the bustling city! Nevertheless, when Ali Pasha entered through the huge crowd of wedding guests and curious people, he heard the commanding voice of the clergyman who said that the bridegroom should follow the orders and repeat his words. Pasha, who until then was not accustomed to command the others, was now being commanded by the provincial priest. Under the pressure of curious eyes of the participants, without waiting until the end of the Christian procedures of the ceremony, Pasha addressed to the priest with compelling and suggestive voice: “It seems that there is nothing else to be said!? The ceremony ended, right?” “Yes, yes,” muttered the shocked priest. Meanwhile, Pasha grabbed the arm of his bride, Vasiliki, and turned toward the exit door. While the crowd began chanting and throwing flowers over the couple, before reaching the door, Pasha swiftly drew a hidden pistol out of his band and fired toward the ceiling in a typically eccentric and rebellious move. The pistol’s bullet hit the corner of the marble cross standing on the altar, breaking a piece of it. That cross stood damaged for two centuries, until its repair in 1997.
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the legend of Ali Pasha & Vasiliki wedding ceremony
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Of all of Ali Pasha’s various military and diplomatic achievements, the legend of his marriage persists as a definitional story. Pasha was a Bektashi Muslim and his wife Christian Orthodox. In a shocking move to his constituency, the Muslim monarch agreed to make the marriage ceremony inside the Christian chapel near the sea, which still stands today. No one can explain why Pasha left the capital, Ioannina (Janina), for this distant place. Perhaps it was the view, or the relative remoteness from the bustling city! Nevertheless, when Ali Pasha entered through the huge crowd of wedding guests and curious people, he heard the commanding voice of the clergyman who said that the bridegroom should follow the orders and repeat his words. Pasha, who until then was not accustomed to command the others, was now being commanded by the provincial priest. Under the pressure of curious eyes of the participants, without waiting until the end of the Christian procedures of the ceremony, Pasha addressed to the priest with compelling and suggestive voice: “It seems that there is nothing else to be said!? The ceremony ended, right?” “Yes, yes,” muttered the shocked priest. Meanwhile, Pasha grabbed the arm of his bride, Vasiliki, and turned toward the exit door. While the crowd began chanting and throwing flowers over the couple, before reaching the door, Pasha swiftly drew a hidden pistol out of his band and fired toward the ceiling in a typically eccentric and rebellious move. The pistol’s bullet hit the corner of the marble cross standing on the altar, breaking a piece of it. That cross stood damaged for two centuries, until its repair in 1997.
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the legend of Vasiliki breast milk
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Another legend of Ali Pasha tells the tale of the agave plants that line the steep hill behind the castle. It is told that Ali Pasha brought a plant from a distant and unknown land that had two special features and sowed it in the surrounding terrain of the fortress of Porto Palermo. Its numerous flowers filled the landscape around the castle in spring and the amount of latex that these plants periodically produce was numerous. This led to the legend that this milk was the breast milk of Vasiliki, the wife of Ali Pasha, who never bore children with Pasha.
Ali Pasha and Kira Vassiliki by Paul Emil Jacobs 1802 - 1866 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Ali_Pasha_and_Kira_Vassiliki_by_Paul_Emil_ Jacobs_1802_1866.jpg
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the legend of Vasiliki breast milk
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Another legend of Ali Pasha tells the tale of the agave plants that line the steep hill behind the castle. It is told that Ali Pasha brought a plant from a distant and unknown land that had two special features and sowed it in the surrounding terrain of the fortress of Porto Palermo. Its numerous flowers filled the landscape around the castle in spring and the amount of latex that these plants periodically produce was numerous. This led to the legend that this milk was the breast milk of Vasiliki, the wife of Ali Pasha, who never bore children with Pasha.
Ali Pasha and Kira Vassiliki by Paul Emil Jacobs 1802 - 1866 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Ali_Pasha_and_Kira_Vassiliki_by_Paul_Emil_ Jacobs_1802_1866.jpg
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The Courtyard of the fortress
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Different from many castles Porto - Palermo fortress is completely covered; on parapets surrounding the open terrace, there is a series of turrets / battlements. Inside the fortress, there are several spaces that were used as military meeting room, warehouses, kitchen, etc. The presence of numerous alcoves makes it a very interesting place to explore. From this level, the visitor could access the courtyard of the fortress, an amazingly beautiful place embraced by the thick walls. A stone staircase, built in the central part leads to the terrace.
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Source: http://www.adventurous-travels. com/2015/08/himare-porto-palermo-fortress-and. html
The Courtyard of the fortress
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Different from many castles Porto - Palermo fortress is completely covered; on parapets surrounding the open terrace, there is a series of turrets / battlements. Inside the fortress, there are several spaces that were used as military meeting room, warehouses, kitchen, etc. The presence of numerous alcoves makes it a very interesting place to explore. From this level, the visitor could access the courtyard of the fortress, an amazingly beautiful place embraced by the thick walls. A stone staircase, built in the central part leads to the terrace.
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Source: http://www.adventurous-travels. com/2015/08/himare-porto-palermo-fortress-and. html
Porto Palermo Castle, an Art Event’s Venue
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Porto Palermo was declared ‘culture monument’ in 1948. Ever since, it has been a place to visit and learn more about the history of Ali Pasha, and the construction of the Castle. Recently, Porto Palermo Castle has been used a place of events, such as “Uncharted 2014”. “Uncharted is an unknown factor. It is a puzzle in which we attempt to use rational schemes and scientific rigor to offer a logical explanation of place. As in the Arboretum of David Byrne we try to create a mental map of an imaginary territory. In this place photographs, videos, drawings, installations and poetic conceptual performances, constitute the landscape of the artist’s mind. The ways in which these works come together, collide and intertwine diagrammatically outline the many facets of this festival. The relationships, connections and synergies that arise spontaneously are the final product of a long process of collecting, making and welcoming, expressing the experience and vision of artists to the world and society… This festival is Uncharted precisely because this space will transcend known history, becoming a place where unknown stories are born...” Source: http://www.artkontakt.al/en/porto-palermofestival-2014-2/
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Porto Palermo Castle, an Art Event’s Venue
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Porto Palermo was declared ‘culture monument’ in 1948. Ever since, it has been a place to visit and learn more about the history of Ali Pasha, and the construction of the Castle. Recently, Porto Palermo Castle has been used a place of events, such as “Uncharted 2014”. “Uncharted is an unknown factor. It is a puzzle in which we attempt to use rational schemes and scientific rigor to offer a logical explanation of place. As in the Arboretum of David Byrne we try to create a mental map of an imaginary territory. In this place photographs, videos, drawings, installations and poetic conceptual performances, constitute the landscape of the artist’s mind. The ways in which these works come together, collide and intertwine diagrammatically outline the many facets of this festival. The relationships, connections and synergies that arise spontaneously are the final product of a long process of collecting, making and welcoming, expressing the experience and vision of artists to the world and society… This festival is Uncharted precisely because this space will transcend known history, becoming a place where unknown stories are born...” Source: http://www.artkontakt.al/en/porto-palermofestival-2014-2/
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Porto Palermo Castle 28
Porto Palermo Castle roof terrace and the view from the bastion to the hill across the shore‌.
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Porto Palermo Castle 28
Porto Palermo Castle roof terrace and the view from the bastion to the hill across the shore‌.
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Imprint
Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al
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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al
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Imprint
Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al
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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al
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