Albania Town Becomes World Heritage Site

09 July 2008 Tirana _ Berat, a historic Ottoman town in central Albania has entered the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

The move by the United Nations’ heritage committee, comes three years after the town of Gjirokastra was also added to the list.

Berat was added as “a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town,” UNESCO said.

“Berat bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries,” it added.

The town of 64,000 inhabitants features a castle locally known as the Kala most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back some 2,400 years.

The area includes many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century, several of which contain valuable wall paintings and icons.

The town also has several mosques built under Turkish occupation which started in 1417 and several houses for religious communities, notably some used by Sufi brotherhoods in the 18th century.

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