Elbasan

Elbasan is a city in central Albania, situated on the ancient Via Egnatia road that once connected Rome to Byzantium, about 33 km from Tirana (around 44 km by road). It’s the seat of Elbasan County and Albania’s fourth-largest city by population.

The city grew from a Roman fortress called Mansio Scampis, built in the 4th century AD along this strategic road. The Ottomans rebuilt the castle in 1466 under Sultan Mehmed II as a military center to counter Skanderbeg, the Albanian nobleman who resisted Ottoman expansion.

Elbasan Castle (known locally as Kalaja e Elbasanit) sits at the heart of the modern city. Within its walls, which reach 9 meters high, are several preserved historic landmarks: Sinan Pasha’s Turkish bath, a Catholic church, the Orthodox Church of St. Mary’s Assumption, the King’s Mosque, and a 19th-century Clock Tower standing 30 meters tall. Entry to the castle is free. The nearby Elbasan Ethnographic Museum, housed in a traditional 18th-century house, displays the city’s culture and folklore.

This information was verified on August 7, 2026.