Zekate House Explained

Zekate House (Zapanaja e Zekatëve), is a house in Gjirokastër, Albania.^[1] The house, built in 1812, is said to be "one of the grandest examples of Gjirokastër architecture in the Ottoman style".^[2]

Fortified tower houses, (known as kullë in Albanian), belonged to wealthy people, such as government officials or merchants. All rooms have a basic design: a safe ground floor with a wooden gallery on top, which are the most important rooms for an extended family. The decks are placed on the walls to help defend against the enemies they attack. Zekate's house is an example of an urban kullë.^[3] Built in 1811–1812, it has two towers and a large double arch facade. The panorama of the city can be viewed from the house.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Çuberi. Dashmir. Distinctive Features of Zekate House Decoration-Gjirokastra. Anglisticum. 5. 3. 2016. 21–28.
2. http://www.gjirokastra.org/sub_links/oldbazar_tours/oldbazar_tour_packages.html www.gjirokastra.org
3. Book: Marinov, Tchavdar. The "Balkan House”": Interpretations and Symbolic Appropriations of the Ottoman-Era Vernacular Architecture in the Balkans. Daskalov. Roumen Dontchev. Mishkova. Diana. Marinov. Tchavdar. Vezenkov. Alexander. Entangled Histories of the Balkans-Volume Four: Concepts, Approaches, and (Self-) Representations. 2017. Brill. 9789004337824. https://books.google.com/books?id=R3cEDgAAQBAJ&pg=PR5&dq=Zekate+House#q=Zekate. 505.
4. http://gjirokastra.org/gjirokastra/?p=2746 www.gjirokastra.org