page_title: Architecture of Albania
section_title: Kullas
hierarchical_section_title: Architecture of Albania / Vernacular architecture / Kullas
caption_attribution_description: English: Lock-in tower, Thethi, northern Albania, used as refuge for men involved in a blood feud (Gjakmarrja, or Hakmarrja, the social custom from the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit) that are vulnerable to attack. עברית: מגדל מבוצר בכפר ת'ת'י, צפון אלבניה.
context_page_description: The architecture of Albania is a reflection of Albania's historical and cultural heritage. The country's architecture was influenced by its location within the Mediterranean Basin and progressed over the course of history as it was once inhabited by numerous civilisations including the Illyrians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottomans as well as modern Austro-Hungarians and Italians. In addition, missionaries, invaders, colonisers and traders brought cultural changes that had a large profound effect on building styles as well as techniques.
  During classical antiquity, cities and towns in Albania have evolved from within the castle to include dwellings, religious and commercial structures, with constant redesigning of town squares and evolution of building techniques. Although there are prehistoric and classical structures in the country, which effectively begins with constructions from the Illyrians and Ancient Greeks such as in Byllis, Amantia, Phoenice, Apollonia, Butrint and Shkodër. With the extension of the Roman Empire in the Balkans, impressive Roman architecture was built throughout the country whereas it is best exemplified in Durrës, Tirana and Butrint.
context_section_description: Kulla were fortified tower houses that flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries as a result of resistance to the Ottoman conquest, national renaissance and emergence of capitalism. In most cases, they take the form of an extended family house. However, a house for two brothers can also be found.
  According to their spatial and planning composition, Albanian houses are classified and separated into four major groups:
  Houses with vater zjarri, or fireplace/hearth: These type of houses are primarily found in Tirana County and characterized by the house of fire (Shtëpia e Zjarrit), which takes up the height of two floors, with surrounding areas interacting around it.
  Houses with hajat, or porch: A distinguishing feature of this style is the relationship of the house with the backyard and natural environment. Oftentimes, these houses are built on flat grounds, with the ground floor used by inhabitants for agricultural purposes. For example, the Shijaku House in Tirana is surrounded by adobe walls with a large gate entrance, and almost always covered with a simple roof.
  Houses with çardak, a type of balcony found on the top floor reserved for guests or relaxation: They are mostly found in Berat, and less so in Kruje and Lezha. The cardak is a dominant element of the building's outer composition being on the main facade of the house, originally designed to be open. The cardak is extensively used by dwellers in the warm season by exploiting the natural sunlight. It also serves as liaison with other areas of the house. These houses are divided into several sub types: houses with cardak on the front area, on one side, or at the center. An example of such structures is Hajdar Sejdini House in Elbasan.
  Urban or civic kulla: They are found in Gjirokaster (see Zekate House), Berat, Kruje, and Shkoder used for defensive and warehouse purposes. The interior showed the extent of family's wealth, while the ground floor served as a safe place for cattle in the winter, and to keep water reserves for the dry summer months.
  The southern urban or civic Kullas are found in the cities and surroundings of Berat, Gjirokastër, Himara and Këlcyrë. Tower-houses in Gjirokastër were built in the 13th century predating Ottoman conquest. The northern Kullas are a heavily fortified residential building built in the north of Albania and Dukagjin region of Kosovo. They contain small windows and shooting holes because their main purpose was to offer security from attack. Further they have been initially built from wood and stone and eventually only from stone.
  The first Kullas were built in the 17th century, a time when there was continuous fighting in the Dukagjini region, although most of the ones that still remain are from the 18th or 19th century. They have been almost always built within a complex of buildings with various functions but Kullas in villages exists mostly as standalone structures. They are also positioned within the complex of buildings so that the inhabitants can look out over the surrounding area. Kullas in towns are usually built as standalone structures, while in villages they are more commonly found as a part of a larger ensemble of Kullas and stone houses, usually grouped together for the family clan they belonged to.
  Certain Kullas were used as places of isolation and safe havens or "locked towers" (Kulla Ngujimi) intended for the use of persons targeted by blood feuds; an example can be found in Theth.
  Most of the Kullas are three-story buildings. A characteristic unit of its architectural structure in "Oda e Burrave" (Chamber of Men or Gathering Room of Men), which was usually placed in the second floor of the Kulla, called Divanhane, while the ground floor served as a barn for cattle and the first floor was where the family quarters were located. The material from which the Divanhane is constructed, either wood or stone, is sometimes used to classify Kullas.
caption: So-called "locked tower" in Theth within the Albanian Alps in the north of Albania.
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