Tirana’s History

Tirana is relatively a new city founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha of Mulleti. The city began to grow at the beginning of the 18 century, but it remained an unimportant town until it was proclaimed Albania’s capital in 1920. This was mainly due to its geographical position more or less in the middle of the country, on the fault-line between the northern Ghegs and the southern Tosks. It wasn’t until the late 1920 when Italian influence became quite strong, that the centre of the city took the appearance of a capital city. Italian planners and architects build the main square named after the National Hero Scanderbeg, the huge boulevard, ministry buildings, national bank and the town hall. Today Tirana is not only the most populated city in Albania but also the most important political and economic centre in the country.

In the last few years Tirana has seen substantial changes in its appearance. The dull communist-style buildings have been transformed by an artist turned Mayer, through the ingenuous idea of painting their facades in bright colours, and abstract patterns. This is not only a quick fix but also an uplifting experience for inhabitants and visitors alike. Furthermore it has seen a huge increase in modern building developments including many hotels.

Did you know that?
· There are three hypothesis on the origin of the name Tirana.
1. It is thought it comes from the word “Theranda” mentioned in Geek and Latin sources which the local pronounced Te Ranat, meaning “fallen” because the field was formed by rocks and other hard material from nearby mountains brought in by the waters.
2. Its name derives from the word “Tirkan” which was a castle in Dajti’s mountainside very close to today’s city. The remains of such a castle belonging to I-century B.C still exist today.
3. “Tirana” comes from old Greek “Tyros” which means dairy, mainly due to the ancient dairy trade by shepherds taking place in the field of Tirana.

· Tirana’s name is mentioned for the first time in a Venetian document of 1418
· Tirana’s first record on its population was compiled by the invading Ottomans in 1431-1432 revealing 1000 houses and 7300 inhabitants.
· In the registration of 1583 Tirana had 20 000 inhabitants
· In 1769 Tirana and surroundings exported 2600 barrels of olive oil and 14 000 stuffed packages of tobacco to Venetian traders.
· At the beginning of the XX century Tirana area had 140 000 olive trees and 400 oil mills, while the market numbered 700 shops.
· In 1990 Tirana had 250 000 inhabitants while now it numbers more than 700 000 due to a demographic, when people from all over the country moved to the capital.