Gjirokastër, city in south central Albania, capital of Gjirokastër District. Gjirokastër is located on the eastern slope of the Gjerë Mountains, overlooking a tributary of the Aóös (Vjöse) River. It is a commercial center with industries in food processing, textile milling, and leather making. Historical monuments include several mosques and churches dating from the 18th century and a citadel rebuilt in the 19th century on Venetian foundations. A medieval fortress still stands on the mountainside overlooking the city; first mentioned in historical documents in 1336, it was fortified in the early 19th century under orders of Ali Pasha Tepelene, a Turkish grand vizier (chief minister). Another attraction is the Museum of the National Liberation War, which was built in 1966 on the site of the house where Enver Hoxha, the longtime Albanian Communist Party leader, was born in 1908.
Gjirokastër was originally a settlement of the Illyrians, an Indo-European people who inhabited Albania in ancient times. The town was conquered by the Turks in the early 15th century. In the late 19th century the city was a meeting headquarters for the Albanian League, a nationalist movement demanding full autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. During the First Balkan War (1912-1913) Greece captured the city from the Ottomans, along with the rest of Albania. During World War II (1939-1945) Gjirokastër was occupied by Italy, Greece, and then Germany. Population (1990 estimate) 24,900.
