 | Fier Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 16 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (16) Close to the bouleuterion, an Odeon. It was build by the Romans. It is a small structure with steep steps. It had not the usual fan shape of Roman theaters but it is restricted in the middle (better seen on photo 2). The steps are made of stone but the outside wall is made of bricks. It was covered but nothing remains of the cover. Leave a Comment |
The bouleuterion is also called the monument of the Agonothetes. In ancient Greece, the bouleuterion was the place where the town council (the boule) held its meetings. It was the administrative center of the city. There are not many remains of bouleuterion still standing. The one in Apollonia was partly rebuilt after it collapsed in an earthquake. Leave a Comment |
Along the small road that leads from Appolonia to Dërmenas (and after to Fier)we saw several flocks of geese grazing (photo 1) and crossing the road (photo 2). The flocks or geese were mixed with flocks of sheeps of several colors, ranging from whitish to brown and even black (photo 3). Photo 4 is an enlargement of the later that shows in the background a few of the Enver Hoxha bunkers, now completely integrated in the landscape! Leave a Comment |
I do not know if it is the main entrance into the monastery but the wooden door seems very old with its wrought iron nails. On the sides of the entrance, I have notice two carvings.
The carving on the second photo is not easy to decipher. It shows several figures that seem to carry the body of a crowned king while a lion’s head figure is riding one of the three donkeys.
The carving on the third photo is not very cleverly drawn. In the center, a pole (or a mosque ?) is topped by a moon crescent. On the right, a very excited male animal (boar, wolf ?) (enlargement on photo 4). On the left, two female animals with a full row of *** hanging. One could be a she wolf, the other a weasel (enlargement on photo 4). I have no idea of what does that mean! Help wanted! Leave a Comment |
Olive trees have been grown around Appolonia since the ancient Greeks. There is a lot of old olive trees on the Apollonia hills. Obviously, they were not planted by the ancient Greeks, but from the look of the trunk, I bet that they are several centuries old (especially on the second photo). Leave a Comment |
The monastery is surrounded by high walls and it was not open for visits. The bell tower stands out of the walls but was closed too.
Several lion’s head have been unearthed from the site. The one on photo 4 has been included in the wall of the monastery. Leave a Comment |
I suppose that this is what is described as a quadrangular structure built around an inner covered yard 11,98 x 11,20 m with a white mosaic on the ground (hidden by sand). The stones used for the outer walls are of good size. I have read that the basement stones came from local quarries while the upper one came from the Karaburun penisula. Leave a Comment |
When we visited, Apollonia, I was amazed by this vault standing in perfect condition (photo 1). On the side (photo 2), it appeared that it was something that had just been built and may be not yet finished with a few old stones and mostly new ones. Once home, I found that this was the rebuilding of the vault of a shop. Leave a Comment |
Eastwards, Apollonia has a series of small hills with rich agricultural lands. It is at the same time a strategically situated location. This is why the ancient Greek built the city here but in modern times, Enver Hoxha took advantage of this situation to build a series of large bunkers (enlargement on the second photo). These were not the usual small bunkers that dot the country but “family bunkers”! Leave a Comment |
The "temenos" was in ancient Greece, the inner room in a temple, the sacred room reserved for dreams, visions and reflection. In Apollonia, there remains the base of the walls of the Temenos (from the IVth-IIIrd BC), not seen on the photo and in the center a strange phallic monument on which I have not found any explanation. I keep searching. Leave a Comment |
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on September 26, 2007
Fier
