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Things to Do in Berat

Berat castle - Berat
Berat castle
by njonjo
Reviews and photos of Berat attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Berat sightseeing.
Local Time 12:04 pm Saturday, May 17, 2008
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Berat Things To DoTips 1 - 10 of 73  
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Berat, Vrionis house
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  • Updated By JLBG on September 8, 2007
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  • Berat, Vrionis house - Berat
    Berat, Vrionis house
    by JLBG, 2 more photos
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    Mid way between Xhami e Mbretit and Xhami e Beqareve stands a school. However, this school is working in an ancient building that obviously was built for another purpose. On the north-eastern side, the main entrance (first photo) stands just before Hotel Mangalem, that appear on the right. Photos 2 and 3 show the south-western side with two galleries with elegant columns and arches in the Turkish style. On the left, windows are closed with boards. I wondered what was that building as none of the guidebooks I use said anything about it though the building is great looking. I finally found the explanation on VT in the excellent Berat page by Dritan. I quote : The Vrionis were one of the most powerful feudal families of Berat and Southern Albania. Several of them served as governors of the city and adjacent provinces during the ottoman period. Their house was destroyed during Albania's own 'cultural revolution'. This is what remains from their house. Thank you Dritan ! I tried to know more and learned that the Vrioni, obviously of Greek origin, took a main part in the struggles in the Balkans in the XIXth and were most of the time on the Ottoman side. Ilias Bej Vrioni (1882-1932) was an Albanian politician and landlord. He served as Prime Minister of Albania three times under king Zog. I suppose that the Berat house was looted much later. I found also that Jusuf Vrioni was the usual translator in French of the books of Ismail Kadaré. I suppose he belongs to that family. I have just found in the introduction of Dritan's Berat page that he is indeed of that family. Thanks again Dritan! The first time I had a look at this excellent page, I must have read too fast!

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    Berat : Mangalem
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Berat : Mangalem - Berat
    Berat : Mangalem
    by JLBG, 3 more photos
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    The first photo shows the Mangalem district from the other bank of the Osum river. All the houses have their “many windows” front that gave the city the name of “the thousand windows city”. On the right, Shtëpia e Bardhe (bachelor’s mosque). Other three photos show various aspects of the houses in Mangalem, all shot from Gorica side of the Osum river.

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    Berat, Teqe e Halvetije
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Berat, Teqe e Halvetije - Berat
    Berat, Teqe e Halvetije
    by JLBG
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    Teqe e Halvetije (Tekke of the Halveti) was built in 1790 by Ahmet Kurd Pasha. It is the most beautiful teqe of the country. The columns of the porch are carved and come from the ancient Roman’s city of Appolonia. Inside, the wooden ceiling of the prier room is delicately carved and painted. What is a tekke? While most Muslim Albanians are Sunni, a strong minority belongs to mystic and tolerant Sufi orders, namely Bektashism and Halvetism, only slightly different. Both sects are lead by dervishes and their religious centers are not mosque but “teqe” (tekke in Turk). Tekke can be found through out Albania, either in large cities or in remote areas, where they were built when these sects were chased. Bektashism was founded in the 13th century in Turkey, but its headquarters are now in Albania. There is a web page on Bektashism (click on “mesime” to get it in English).

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    Berat, iconostasis
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Berat, iconostasis - Berat
    Berat, iconostasis
    by JLBG, 3 more photos
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    In 1988, our Albanian guide, though evidently appointed by the Regime, (what else would have him be!) wanted to show us an example of fine Albanian art, an iconostasis in a church. However, we were in 1988 and religion was banned, the girl that kept the key felt inappropriate to let foreigners visit such an awful example of old superstitions. He had to discuss very hard with her, may be a quarter an hour but, though very angry (look at the second photo and the enlargement on the third!), she finally gave the key. I feel that the iconostasis was in Saint Spiridon but I am not sure as we have not been to the church in 2007.

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    Mangalem and Kala
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Mangalem and Kala - Berat
    Mangalem and Kala
    by JLBG, 3 more photos
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    The first photo shows the Mangalem district and the hill topped by Kala district. The fortress does not appear as it is a little on the rear, only a flag is showing; It must be on top of the flag tower, at the southern end of the fortress. The architecture of Berat though typically Balkanic, with corbelled buildings, does not show much wood as it occurs often in other places. The outer walls are painted in white but the abundance of the opening, looking dark, gives a very different look than white villages in Greece that on the contrary have usually few openings.

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    Mangalem, narrow alleys
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Mangalem, narrow alleys - Berat
    Mangalem, narrow alleys
    by JLBG,
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    If you want to get the spirit of Berat, you must stroll in the steep and narrows alleys of Mangalem. They are all the same and all different. In 1988, when we visited Berat, it was very calm and peaceful. In 2007, it was still calm and peaceful but there are still very few tourists visiting Albania. Will it remain the same when a lot of visitors will have learned how wonderful the country is!.

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    Close ups on Mangalem houses
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Close up on Mangalem houses - Berat
    Close up on Mangalem houses
    by JLBG, 4 more photos
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    All five photos show close ups on Mangalem houses. In most of them, the top level is corbelled, which allows gaining a few square meters of living space! In Berat, all houses are covered with Roman tiles, also called canal tiles because of their shape. This gives to the city a very different aspect than Gjirokaster, covered with slates.

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    Berat, Xhami e Beqareve
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Berat, Xhami e Beqareve - Berat
    Berat, Xhami e Beqareve
    by JLBG, 4 more photos
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    Near the river Osum, at the bottom of Mangalem, the Moslem district, Xhami e Beqareve (Bachelor´s Mosque), built in 1827. The word "beqar", which literally means bachelor, and refers to the young shop assistants, most of the time bachelors, whom the merchants in Berat used to hire as their own private militia.

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    Berat, Kala, near Kisha e Shën Todrit
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  • Updated By JLBG on September 11, 2007
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  • Berat, Kala, near Kisha e Shën Todrit - Berat
    Berat, Kala, near Kisha e Shën
    Todrit
    by JLBG
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    Just behind Kisha e Shën Todrit (its roof can be seen in the background), an amazing statue stands under a shelter, together with some broken chairs, a slash open mattress and a broken baby-foot game. They seem to be all rubbles, including the statue of an old man with a beard writing on a paper with a half broken hand. Who is him? Why is it here? Given that he has the beard, it should not be a statue erected during the past regime. However, I have discovered on the photo a carving that I had not noticed. It says : “T Tada 87” or “I Jada 87”. It should be1887. Any body knows about the man represented? Sept 11th. Thanks Suela for your suggestion of Jeronim de Rada (1814-1903). The words on the basement could actually be read as J. Rada. The date of 1887 fits with the dates of Jeronim de Rada. But that does not look at all like any other picture of him. Then that might be connected (how ?) with Jeronim de Rada but does not seem to represent him. Strange, isn’t it ? Girolamo De Rada was born in Italy. He is known in Albanian as Jeronim De Rada. He is the best known writer of Italian-Albanian literature and a major figure of the Albanian nationalist movement in Italy at the turn of the XIXth.

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    Berat, the fortified entrance into Kala
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  • By JLBG on September 6, 2007
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  • Berat, the fortified entrance into Kala - Berat
    Berat, the fortified entrance
    into Kala
    by JLBG, 1 more photos
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    The entrance into Kala, with its double doorway, was protected by an imposing defense complex. It is partly destructed and it is not easy to understand how it should look. The first photo shows the lowest part of the tower that stands over the inner doorway. Only the huge staircase remains. The second photo was taken from the left of the first one and shows the doorway (and the parking lot). On the left, stand several remains of the defense complex that was mostly rebuilt by Michael II Comnenus Doukas, Despot of Epirus in the XIIIth.

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    More Berat Tips
    Overview
         		General Tips
    Tips: 6 - Photos: 6
    Restaurants
    Tips: 7 - Photos: 6    		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 6 - Photos: 4
    Things To Do
    Tips: 73 - Photos: 72    		Nightlife
    Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 11 - Photos: 9    		Tourist Traps
    Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 3 - Photos: 3    		Transportation
    Tips: 5 - Photos: 5
    Local Customs
    Tips: 2 - Photos: 2    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
    Shopping
    Tips: 1 - Photos: 1    		Sports Travel
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