Berat

Berat rises above the Osum River beneath the mountains of southern Albania. Its fortified hill has been identified with ancient Antipatrea, a city stormed and burned by Roman forces in 200 BC. In the ninth century the Bulgarians gave it the name Belgrad, meaning “White City,” from which Berat later developed. Churches and mosques within the old fortified town reflect the long succession of rulers who held it.

In 1337 Albanian communities around Mount Tomorr rose against Byzantine rule and seized its fortress, only to be defeated by Emperor Andronikos III. Berat later became the capital of the Albanian Muzaka family before passing to the Ottomans in 1417. In 1455 Skanderbeg attempted to take the town, but his siege failed against the Ottoman defenders.