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TIRANA
Tirana, the capital of Albania since 1920, was founded in the early 17th century by a Turkish general when Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire. Standing on the Ishm River, it eventually became a trading centre at the junction of roads and caravan trails. Today, Tirana is connected by rail with the port city of Durrës, on the Adriatic Sea and it is the largest city and the principal commercial, manufacturing, and cultural centre of Albania.
Although the city is now largely composed of recent buildings, some older districts and mosques, such as the Mosque of Etehem Bey, on Scanderbeg Square, have been preserved. It is home to the national library and theatre and the University of Tirana. There is a fine arts gallery, and several interesting museums.
There are plenty of hotels in convenient locations, near the monuments, the railway station, restaurants and the university, for example, but cheaper accommodation is not so easy to find. However, the local people are friendly and helpful as are the municipal authorities.
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