Who actually built the fortress of Porto Palermo and he killed Ali Pasha Tepelena the French engineers?

In the south of the bay where the Military Base of Porto Palermo is located, is the Castle of Ali Pasha Tepelena that he built and gave to the woman he loved very much, Vasiliqia. This fort is located on one of the most beautiful beaches in the south and has become a popular destination for tourists because of the history and myths that revolve around it.

The British photojournalist Robert Hackman entered the Castle of Ali Pasha and showed it in the DritareTV documentary. He tells how the castle used to be, when he visited it about 20 years ago and today that it is being visited by thousands of tourists.

The photojournalist talks about the myths that are told about the castle, who built it the Venetians or Ali Pasha, he killed Ali Pasha, the engineers who renovated the castle, the gift for the Orthodox woman, the shelter of the British in this castle during the Napoleonic Wars and many others.

Photojournalist Robert Hackman's account:

"In the middle of the Gulf of Porto Palermo is a small island connected by a thin strip of land. I would call it an island, but maybe it's a peninsula. On this island there is a castle called Porto Palermo Castle, sometimes referred to as Ali Pasha's Castle. This castle was most likely built by the Venetians, as it has a very similar design to the Venetian castle just south of here in Butrint, which was built in 1500. To build a castle here would be very dangerous as the hills behind the castle are very high. One could easily place artillery there and take this fortress. So it was obviously built by a seafaring people who could serve the castle from the sea.

We know that this castle in 1662 was a great concern for the Venetians. They were worried that the invading Ottomans would take command of this fortress and attack Corfu, just two or three miles down the channel.

So there was a castle here in 1662 before Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha was a despot who controlled this entire area in South Albania in the early 19th century. He most likely renovated this castle. One of the stories attached to the castle is that two French engineers helped Ali Pasha to renovate it. After completing the renovation he killed them both, probably to protect some secret about him. But perhaps this story is a myth and it has been told more to tell about the ruthlessness of Ali Pasha than about the effort to keep the secrets of this castle. It takes 300 new lek to enter now. It was free for many years, but with the increase in tourism and helping to maintain the castle, there is a small entrance fee. It is worth coming here and paying a visit, looking around and exploring the Ali Pasha Castle.

Well, that's quite a transformation. I have not been inside this castle for 20 years and then there was no fee, direct entry inside. It was not neat and clean like today. You could not see the stone floors that look so beautiful after centuries of use. It is such a beautiful castle in such a wonderful setting. And how good that today I see it so neat and clean.

The middle of the castle is an open area with various antechambers leading off of it. This fort was also given to the British for use in the early 1800s. Ali Pasha, who owned this fort, gave it to them during the Napoleonic Wars. William Leake, who was a British diplomat and military attache to Ali Pasha and other rulers of this area, inspected this castle in 1806 and the only ones defending it were ten soldiers and two four-pound guns. So, Ali Pasha did not attach much strategic importance to this installation. He therefore gave it to the British to use in the Napoleonic Wars. It was never used that much and after the death of Ali Pasha it was turned into a ruin.

One of the myths and stories about this castle is that Ali Pasha built it for a much younger woman whom he called Vasiliqi. She was probably in her 20s when she married him and he was in his 70s. But he loved and adored her very much. So even though he may not have built this castle for her, but renovated it, the story shows how devoted he was to his new wife. In fact, he was so devoted to her that even though she was of the Orthodox religion, she was allowed to practice her religion in the yard he had in Tepelena, as well as to build a very small chapel where he held mass. This was very unusual being a Muslim area under Ali Pasha's rule and most likely he was a Bektashi, which is a Sufi-Muslim order. So he was very devoted to her. Hence the myth that he built this castle for him.

But, as wonderful as it is, this castle was also used as a prison by the Italians during World War II and then by the harsh communist regime between 1949 and 1950," says photojournalist Robert Hackman./ Dritare.net