Rozafa Castle to Lure More Visitors in 2018

TIRANA, January 17

Rozafa Castle in Shkodra welcomed about 50,000 visitors during 2017 and it awaits more during this year. Statistics show that this important historic site enjoyed a year-on-year increase since 2016 when the number of visitors was 38,631. The figure was confirmed by the Regional Directorate of National Culture of Shkodra.

Photo credit: DRKK Shkoder

Rozafa Castle is one of the main historic tourist attractions in Northern Albania. People from all over the country and international tourists that travel to Shkodra don’t miss the chance to explore this site that preserves traces from different historical periods starting with Balsha Dynasty, the Venetian and Ottoman periods, and the House of Bushati. The castle dates back to the Illyrian times.

Besides the picturesque view, Rozafa Castle is associated with a famous legend about a woman who was buried in the foundation of the castle, and here it goes: “Its legend, archeology, and history testify to its early existence. The legend is about the initiative of three brothers who set about building the castle. They worked all day, but the walls fell down at night. They met a clever old man who advised them to sacrifice someone so that the walls would stand. The three brothers found it difficult to decide whom to sacrifice. Finally, they decided to sacrifice one of their wives who would bring lunch to them the next day. So they agreed that whichever of their wives was the one to bring them lunch the next day was the one who would be buried in the wall of the castle. They also promised not to tell their wives of this. The two older brothers, however, explained the situation to their wives that night, while the honest youngest brother said nothing.
The next afternoon at lunchtime, the brothers waited anxiously to see which wife was carrying the basket of food. It was Rozafa, the wife of the youngest brother. He explained to her what the deal was, that she was to be sacrificed and buried in the wall of the castle so that they could finish building it, and she didn’t protest.Rozafa, who was predestined to be walled, was worried about her infant son, so she accepted being walled on condition that they must leave her right breast exposed so as to feed her newborn son, her right hand to caress him and her right foot to rock his cradle:
I plead
When you wall me
Leave my right eye exposed
Leave my right hand exposed
Leave my right foot exposed
For the sake of my newborn son
So that when he starts crying
Let me see him with one eye
Let me caress him with one hand
Let me feed him with one breast
Let me rock his cradle with one foot
May the castle breast be walled
May the castle rise strong
May my son be happy.

News Source: DRKK Shkoder