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Gjirokastër ) is a city in southern Albania at 40°04′N 20°08′E with a population of around 30,000, including a substantial Greek community. Its old town is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate".

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Gjirokastër is an ancient city with traces of human habitation dating back to the 1st century BC. It is located on the slopes of the Mali i Gjerë ("Wide Mountain"). The city was probably founded some time in the 12th century AD around a fortress on the hillside. Under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, it developed into a major commercial centre known as i ("Silver Castle"). It was part of the Despotate of Epirus in the 14th century before passing to the Ottoman Empire in 1417. It was captured in 1811 by Ali Pasha and in the late 19th century became a centre of resistance to Turkish rule. The Assembly of Gjirokastër, a key event in the history of the Albanian liberation movement, was held there in 1880.

In 1914 Giorgos Christakis Zografos the Former Foreign Minister of Greece declared the creation of the autonomous state of Northern Epirus from Gjirokaster, which was inhabited by a majority of Greeks. Gjirokaster was proclaimed the capital of the autonomous state, though the advent of the First World War dissolved the state, which was occupied by French forces and later, awarded to Albania in 1918.

During the Balkan Wars, the First World War and the Second World War, Gjirokastër was occupied on various occasions by Italy, Greece and Germany before returning to permanent Albanian control in 1944. The postwar Communist regime developed the city as an industrial and commercial centre, and elevated it to the status of a "museum town" largely due to the fact that it was the birthplace of the dictator Enver Hoxha. Gjirokastër suffered severe economic problems following the end of communist rule in 1991. It was particularly badly affected by the 1997 collapse of a massive pyramid scheme, which destabilised the entire Albanian economy. Violent anti-government protests took place in the town; on December 16, 1997, Hoxha's house was blown up by unknown (but presumably anti-communist) attackers. Its population has fallen since the 1990s, with many ethnic Greeks departing for Greece. However, they still are a sizeable presence in the city and exert a large cultural influence.

"Lockheed T-33 reconnaissance plane forced down in December, 1957 in Gjirokastra, Albania. (Photo by Marc Morell)" Lockheed T-33 reconnaissance plane forced down in December, 1957 in Gjirokastra, Albania. (Photo by Marc Morell)

Gjirokastër is the capital of the eponymous Gjirokastër District. It is principally a commercial centre with some industries, notably the production of foodstuffs, leather, and textiles.

Many houses in Gjirokastër have a distinctive local that has earned the city the nickname of the "town of the stones", because most of the old houses have roofs covered with stones. Due to Gjirokastër's importance to the Communist regime, its city centre was spared at least some of the thoughtless redevelopment that afflicted other cities in Albania, but its designation as a "museum town" unfortunately did not translate into maintaining the old town. Consequently many of its historic buildings have become dilapidated, a problem that is only slowly being resolved.

The Citadel dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley. It's open to visitors and contains a military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the Communist resistance against German occupation.

Gjirokastër also features an old bazaar which was originally built in the 17th century, but which had to be rebuilt in the 19th after it burned down. There are more than 200 homes preserved as "cultural monuments" in Gjirokaster today, and it is also the site of the International Albanian Folk Festival held every four years (most recently in 2005).

When the town was first proposed for inion on the World Heritage List in 1988, ICOMOS experts were nonplussed by a number of modern constructions which detracted from the old town's appearance. The historic core of Gjirokastër was finally inscribed in 2005, 15 years after its original nomination.