One of the highlights of traveling to Albania is undoubtedly Berat, which has its own unique enchantment. It was given the nickname “town of a thousand windows” for its cluster of white Ottoman buildings that climbed the slope to its fortress. When the clouds break up to reveal Mt. Tomorri’s snowy summit or swirl over the tops of the minarets, the location’s harsh mountain backdrop is very moving. Despite being a significant tourism hub in Albania today, Berat has maintained its laid-back appeal and welcoming ambiance.
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Berat has been a site of human activity since prehistory. Two stone hammers that were discovered adjacent to the castle walls and date to the end of the Copper Age and the beginning of the Iron Age are the oldest signs of this activity (2600-1800 B.C). The location underwent a transformation throughout time, becoming an urban center around the middle of the 4th century BC. The old city’s perimeter walls, which cover a 9.6 hectare area, date to the middle of the 4th century BC.
The city is mentioned once more during the second Illyrian-Roman war of 219-218 BC. Describing the ensuing events of 200 BC, Titus Livy, the great Roman historian, mentions the sack of the city by the Romans and the ferocity of the Roman Consul who “killed all the inhabitants over 16 years old and set the city on fire.” The city is mentioned again in the notes that Caesar kept during the war against Pompey in 48 B.C.
He marched up the Osum River to the area that is now the current town of Dimal in an effort to outflank Pompey’s soldiers that were stationed along the left bank of the River Genius (Shkumbin River). When Caesar arrived, he immediately forced the Parthian capital to submit after sending a portion of his army to do so. This Parthian capital was for sure the city of Partha, the nowadays Berat.
Even current Albanian, which is thought to be a descendant of old Illyrian, may be used to explain the Illyrian name Partha. It might be interpreted as “white city.” The limestone construction of the fortress may have inspired the city’s name. Not much is known of the Roman assault on the city, but judging from the archaeological findings it looks like the city recovered soon after the invasion.
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The city’s importance steadily increased during late antiquity, catching up to that of the other nearby sites. The city of Pulcheriopolis, which appears in Hieroclites’ itinerary of 553, is assumed to have gotten its name from Pulcheria, the emperor Theodosius II’s sister from 450–453. This name translates to “rich, magnificent, and strong.”
During the early Middle Ages, Berat stood out as the only settlement in the region that managed to preserve its urban character after the collapse of other ancient cities such as Apollonia, Bylis, and Amantia. The city’s early medieval history remains somewhat obscure—a common feature among many western Byzantine towns during the so-called Dark Ages—but it is clear that Berat continued to play an important role as an ecclesiastical hub.
In 860, Berat was seized by the First Bulgarian Empire. The Byzantines reclaimed it in 927, but it once again fell to the Bulgarians in 976. Full Byzantine control was not restored until 1018, when Emperor Basil II—known as the “Bulgar Slayer”—defeated the Bulgarian forces. The ancient name Pulcheriopolis gradually disappeared from use, and from the early 11th century the city became known as Belgrad (“White City”), a name introduced during Bulgarian rule. During this time, Berat flourished as a religious centre. Until the 10th century, its bishopric depended on the metropolitan see of Durrës, but after the 11th century it was placed under the jurisdiction of Ohrid. Ottoman records from 1432 indicate that Berat had grown sufficiently to become a metropolitan see in its own right.
After the fall of Constantinople to the armies of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Berat became part of the Despotate of Epirus, ruled from Arta (now in Greece). Its position, overseeing the fertile plains of Myzeqe and the surrounding region, made it a key administrative seat under Michael I Komnenos Doukas, the first Despot, who strengthened its fortifications. Michael was killed in Berat in 1214 during a power struggle, but his descendants continued to govern the city for more than fifty years.
Between 1280 and 1281, Berat became a strategic stronghold in the conflict between the Angevin kings of southern Italy—who sought to expand into the Balkans—and the resurgent Byzantine Empire allied with the Despots of Epirus. The Angevins’ defeat in a major battle near Berat in 1281 ended their ambitions in Albania.
In the mid-14th century, the campaigns of the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan (1345–1346) brought Berat, along with Kostur and Ioannina, under Serbian control for a brief period. Subsequently, the city came under the dominion of the feudal Muzaka family, descendants of the Despots, who turned it into the heart of their territories. The Muzakas are first mentioned in historical sources in 1274, and their lineage is believed to trace back to Lavdar in the Korça region. According to John Muzaka—though not considered entirely reliable—the family name may have derived from the Molos tribe (Molosaku, later evolving into Muzaka). The Muzakas played a major role in Albania’s medieval politics and in resistance against the Ottoman advance.
The Ottoman push into Albanian lands gained momentum after the Battle of Savra (near Lushnja) on September 18, 1385, where Prince Balsha II, ruler of Vlora and Shkodra, was killed. The decisive Ottoman victory at Kosovo in 1389, combined with the deaths of many Balkan leaders, cleared the way for further Ottoman expansion.
Historical records suggest that Berat fell to the Ottomans twice. The first conquest took place during the 1417 campaign that also captured Kanina, Vlora, and Gjirokastra. Chroniclers such as Marin Barleti and John Muzaka mention a second Ottoman occupation in 1450.
During this period, Albania’s national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg led campaigns to liberate the region. One of his greatest setbacks occurred at Berat on July 26, 1455, when part of his force was deceived by a false promise of surrender. The remaining army—about 5,000 men, supported by 500 Neapolitan soldiers sent under the Gaeta Treaty of 1451 with Alfonso V of Naples—was routed. Following Skanderbeg’s death, the Ottoman administration established the Timar system, ending organized resistance.
By the late 16th century, Berat experienced a new phase of urban revival and economic growth. The famous Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi later visited the city, describing its prosperity. At the turn of the 19th century, Berat became the seat of the local Pashalik. Its most notable governor, Ahmet Kurt Pasha, sponsored major construction works and mentored the future ruler Ali Pasha of Tepelena. After his death, Berat was incorporated into the Ioannina Pashalik but maintained its strategic role as a centre of regional trade.
During World War II, Berat was successively occupied by Italian and later German forces. The city became a significant stronghold for the antifascist resistance and a site of cooperation between Communist and Nationalist forces in 1943. On October 22, 1944, the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Council formed Albania’s first provisional democratic government in Berat, before relocating the capital to Tirana on November 27, 1944.
Under communist rule, Berat developed a strong industrial base, including the “Mao Zedong” textile plant, a battery factory, and other light industries. However, following the fall of communism in the early 1990s, these factories collapsed during a long economic crisis, leading to mass unemployment and emigration. The unrest surrounding the 1997 financial pyramid schemes caused another wave of departures.
Today, Berat, as the administrative centre of the region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city has seen tourism emerge as one of its most promising economic pillars.
