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Berat, 2400 years old city.
Berat, city in south central Albania, capital of Berat District.
Located on the Osum River, Berat is the
commercial center for the surrounding agricultural
region in which tobacco, grapes, and fruits are grown.
Much of the city is built on terraces in the steep hills overlooking
the Osum. The city has many historical monuments, including mosques dating
from the 15th to 19th centuries and an 18th-century seven-arched stone
bridge. A 13th-century citadel built along a ridge high above the river
gorge houses a museum and several old churches.
Berat was founded in the 13th century, probably on the site of the ancient
Greek settlement of Antipatrea. Under Turkish rule from 1440, Berat was
the center of the Albanian nationalist movement in the late 19th century
in which Albanians waged a struggle to win autonomy from the Ottoman Empire.
Berat is known as the site of meetings in October 1944 in which the Albanian
Communist Party formed a provisional government headed by Enver Hoxha.
Population (1990 estimate) 43,800.
A view from the city of Berat
Also in this section:
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History Of Berat
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Photo Album (Berati in Pictures)
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