Butrint

Butrint



South of Burtint Lake, 18 km from Saranda, sits the ancient city of Butrint, the most important archaeological site in Albania, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name of Butrint has been wellknown since the seventh century B.C. as the most important city of Epirus. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the building of Butrint was linked to the presence of the Trojan prince Aeneas during his travel to the temple of Dodona. He paid tribute to the oracle of Dodona by sacrificing a bull (Buthros in Greek) in the place where the city of Butrint began to rise. The Roman poet Virgil also mentions the visit of Aeneas to Butrint in his poem “The Aeneid”. There are many destinations to visit within Butrint.


The Archaeological Park of Butrinti



The most interesting ones are the Temple of Asclepius, a second century B.C. God of good health; a 1,500-seat theatre from the third century B.C. (which now hosts the International Theatre Festival every September); the Baptismal, a paleocristian monument; as well as the nymfeu, the baths, the stoa (covered walkway), the Lake Gate, the Lion Gate, the Venetian fortress of Ali Pasha, and many others. Besides its historical value, Butrint is renowned for its marvelous ecological system. The ruins and the buildings of the city stand amidst an amazing subtropical jungle, with lots of laurel and other high woods.

Butrint