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Place in Vlorë County, Albania| Sarandë Sarandë / Saranda | |
|---|---|
| File:Saranda new!.JPG | |
| Country |  Albania |
| County | Vlorë County |
| District | Sarandë District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Edmond Gjoka (PD) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 30,200 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (Central European Time) |
Sarandë (Albanian: Sarandë or Saranda, Greek: Άγιοι Σαράντα, Agii Saranda "Forty Saints") is the capital of the District of Sarandë, Albania, and it is one of the most important tourist attractions of the Albanian Riviera. Situated on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean, at 39.88°N, 20.00°E. The city of Saranda has a population of about 30,200 people (2008 est.). Near Sarandë are the remains of the ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
History
The ancient Greek city of Onchesmos, mentioned as a port in the 1st century B.C, it's what's known today as Sarandë or Saranda. In the 4th century A.d. the city was fortified with walls. Inside the walls have been excavated the remains of dwellings, water cisterns and an early Christian Basilica of the 5th and 6th century, containing a beautiful multicolored floor mosaic. Other mosaics are to be found in the district museum. The ruins are also preserved of an early Christian Monastery, of the Forty Saints, from which the modern name of the city (Saranda, which means forty in Greek) is derived. Prior to Byzantine rule, the city was called by its Greek name, Onchesmos or Anchiasmos (Greek,Όγχησμος) and it was a vital part of Epirus inhabited by the Greek tribe of Chaonians. The city was an important port in antiquity. Its current name is derived from "Agioi Saranda" (Greek, Άγιοι Σαράντα) after the Forty Martyrs of Sebastea, traditionally commemorated by the Orthodox Church on 10 March. The city was temporarily called "Porto Edda" in honor of Edda Mussolini, the eldest daughter of Benito Mussolini, during World War II when Albania was annexed to Italy.
The city
The sea panorama, the variety of flora, as well as the soft Mediterranean climate, are among the things that make Saranda the preferred recreational center, and an important tourist attraction. The number of couples who arrange to spend their honeymoon in Sarandë, is impressive. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that Saranda is known as the honeymooners' city. Over the last two decades, Saranda has become a favorite tourist destination. Saranda's population nearly doubles every summer season - May through October. Opposite of Sarandë is another tourist attraction, the Greek island of Corfu, and there are daily ferries between them.
Population
Today, Saranda's population is mostly ethnic Albanians with a minority of Greeks and Vlachs. Albanians compose 88% of the total population of the town, and the Greeks and Vlachs 12%.. According to a study conducted by tow journalists (Pettifer and Vicers), there has been an albanisation in Saranda, but according to the study conducted by Council of Europe, Greek minority had the same rights as albanian population did.
Famous People
Hasan Tahsini, first rector of University of Instambul, 1880
Bilbil Xhaferri, writer
Adem Sheme, national hero
Gallery
- Top view Top view
- Beautiful Beautiful
-
Palm trees near the sea-side boulevard
- Sea view Sea view
-
Dhermi beach, located nearby
- Kodra (west side) Kodra (west side)
- Coffee Break Coffee Break
- Hotels (east side) Hotels (east side)
References
- Epirus Vetus: The Archaeology of a Late Antique Province by William Bowden ,ISBN-10: 0715631160,2003,page 14,"Anchiasmos (Onchesmos)"
- Saranda - Ancient Onchesmos: A Short History and Guide by Richard Hodges,2007
- Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World - page 815 by Richard J. A. Talbert, Roger S. Bagnall - 2000,"R harbor, cape or town in Epirus between Onchesmos"
- Hammond, NGL (1994). Philip of Macedon. London, UK: Duckworth. "Epirus was a land of milk and animal products...The social unit was a small tribe, consisting of several nomadic or semi-nomadic groups, and these tribes, of which more than seventy names are known, coalesced into large tribal coalitions, three in number: Thesprotians, Molossians and Chaonians...We know from the discovery of inscriptions that these tribes were speaking the Greek language (in a West-Greek dialect)"
- Strabo. The Geography, Book VII, Chapter 7.5,"these mountains one comes to Onchesmus,427 another harbor, opposite which lie the western extremities of Corcyraea"
- Oracles, Curses, and Risk Among the Ancient Greeks by Esther Eidinow,2007,ISBN-10: 0199277788,Back Matter: ". Onchesmos was the principal port of Phoinike, the capital of Chaonia, ..."
- www.saranda-city.com/history_en.html
- "coastal town of Saranda, home to a large minority population,","The concentration of ethnic Greeks in and around centres of Hellenism such as Saranda and Gjirokastra",http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/csrc/document-listings/balkan/G97 Defense Academy of the United Kingdom
- http://www.southeasteurope.org/documents/0009albminorities.pdf
- http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/csrc/document-listings/balkan/G97
- www.humanrights.coe.int/Minorities/Eng/FrameworkConvention/StateReports/2001/albania/Albania.htm
See also
External links
| Cities and towns in Albania | |
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| Cities and towns in Albania share the status of a geographic unit which makes up a municipality. | |
| (74) |
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