“Gjirokaster Bazaar Quarter” by D-Stanley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The urban composition and values of its centre clearly show that the development of Gjirokastra has taken place according to some principles and norms, which have been followed by its inhabitants and implemented masterfully by its builders, to which both nature and the hand of man have made their contribution.
Gjirokastra is one of the few cities in the country that still preserves its Ottoman characteristics almost as a whole. It was declared a museum city in 1961. The historical centre consists of 9 quarters.
The protected area comprises of the:
Within these areas, architectural ensembles, green areas, and first and second category buildings are included.
In 2005 Gjirokastra was inscribed in the World Heritage list of UNESCO as an exceptional testimony to a long-lasting and almost disappeared society and lifestyle, influenced by Islam’s culture and tradition in the Ottoman period.
Below is the map of the protected areas of Gjirokastra city. Drag the area zones from the left and drop them to the respective legend box on the right:
1. Speak with your teammates about what the city means to you all. Try to think of three (3) words that picture your feelings while wandering in the city and how it affects your everyday life (taking walks in certain places, meeting with friends at favourite places, playing games like ‘hide and seek’, taking pictures, relaxing, etc.).
2. Answer the following question by visiting this link. Yours and your teammates’ results and any other’ students results who visited the Gjirokastra course will be displayed on the screen as a tag cloud. This way, you can view what the city means to lots of different people.
3. Discuss the generated tag cloud in your classroom.
4. If you wish, you can engage more people to do the activity, such as your parents and grandparents or friends and relatives.
