# Ali Pasha Castle

- **Country:** Albania
- **Coordinates:** 39.741576, 19.992473
- **Notes:** The castle lies some 2.4 due west at the mouth of the Vivari Channel. It was built to prevent the advancement of French forces from Corfu.
- **Condition:** preserved
- **Year Built:** 15th–16th century
- **Location Text:** Butrint''''

Ali Pasha Castle, located in Butrint, Vlorë County, Albania, sits at the mouth of the Vivari Channel approximately 2.4 kilometers west of the ancient city. Originally constructed by the Republic of Venice in the late 15th or early 16th century, the fortress was rebuilt in 1819 with three towers. It served as a strategic Venetian outpost for managing local resources like fishing, grazing, and timber, later becoming a contested site during conflicts between Venice and the Ottoman Empire.  

The castle gained prominence when Ali Pasha of Tepelenë seized it around 1804, reinforcing it with gun batteries after French troops destroyed it in 1798 to prevent its capture. It functioned as his secondary residence until 1820. Though smaller than his other fortresses in Tepelena and Gjirokastër, it played a critical role in controlling maritime access to Butrint. Today, the site is open to the public as a historical attraction, preserving its legacy as a witness to centuries of regional power struggles and cultural shifts in southern Albania.

![Photo of Ali Pasha Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Kalaja_e_Ali_Pashes_ne_Butrint.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Pasha_Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)