Eight medieval rifles and three swords were taken away on Easter eve from the arms museum located inside the fortress after several thieves broke into, challenging the surveillance system and guards.
TIRANA, April 22 – Several medieval arms have been robbed from the local Argjiro fortress of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gjirokastra in southern Albania, raising security concern about Albania’s cultural heritage even in guarded sites. Eight medieval rifles and three swords were taken away on Easter eve from the arms museum located inside the fortress after several thieves broke into, challenging the surveillance system and a guard.
The stolen items which include flintlock and ornamented rifles as well as three restored rifles were taken from the museum central stand.
Sadi Petrela, the head of the Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization, said he was very disappointed with the incident in a guarded, surveyed and lighted site such as the Arms Museum. He says he feels especially sorry about the newly restored swords, an inscription of which is believed to belong to a renowned sultan.
Police have detained several people, among whom a private guard who was on duty when the robbery took place on Sunday evening.
In late December 2012, several medieval frescos were severely damaged from the St. Premte chapel in the central Albanian region of Elbasan by amateurish thieves who tried to chisel them out of the wall.
The history, culture and traditions of Gjirokastra and its Drino valley are featured in the newest museum that has opened at the southern Albanian town which has been under UNESCO protection since 2005. Situated in the indoor premises of the local Argjiro fortress, the museum documents Gjirokastra’s 2000-year-old history, bringing evidence of the life of its inhabitants, its most prominent figures and archeological remains discovered in the Drino Valley, especially in the Hadrianapoilis Park. A special section is also dedicated to a rich collection of arms.
Cerciz Topulli, Musine Kokalari, Ismail Kadare are some of the local heroes displayed in the museum stands. A special corner has also been dedicated to late Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled the country for 40 years, from 1945 to 1985.
Inscribed on UNESCO as a rare example of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period, Gjirokastra, in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania, features a series of outstanding two-story houses which were developed in the 17th century. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period. The 13th-century citadel provides the focal point of the town with its typical tower houses.
The historic town of Gjirokastra is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estates. The architecture is characterized by the construction of a type of tower house (Turkish ‘kule’), of which Gjirokastra represents a series of outstanding examples, according to UNESCO.
