Lighthouses of Albania

Albania faces west on the Adriatic Sea and Strait of Otranto south of Montenegro and north of Greece. The country gained its independence from the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire in 1912. After World War II it was governed by a repressive communist dictatorship and generally closed to visitors, an isolation that came to an end after the Communists were pushed out of power in 1992. Although it is one of Europe's poorest and least known countries, tourism is beginning to develop, especially on the southern coast.

Durrës and Vlorë are the major ports. The Albanian word for a lighthouse is far; kep is a cape or headland, gji is a bay, and ishull is an island.

In 2004, the Italian Navy provided assistance to Albania in upgrading its aids to navigation.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
Durres Light
Kep i Durrësit Light
photo copyright Tim Partlett; used by permission

Lighthouses
Kep i Rodonit (Cape Rodoni) (1)
Date unknown (station established by the Ottoman Empire in 1884). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white square column," according to NGA. However, a 2007 Notice to Mariners says the ligh has been moved to a 3 m (10 ft) "metal framework and bunker." No photo available, and a Google satellite view of the cape does not reveal the tower. The white column may be visible just barely in a view of the cape. Rodonit is a sharp, mountainous cape that projects about 8 km (5 mi) into the Adriatic Sea in northern Albania. We need more information on this historic light station; we don't know if anything survives of the Ottoman lighthouse. Located on the heights above the cape. Site status unknown. ARLHS ALB-016; Admiralty E3705; NGA 14296.
* Kep i Durrësit
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 126 m (413 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with gallery. The lighthouse is unpainted white stone. Tim Partlett's photo appears above, and Google has a satellite view. Kep i Durrësit (Cape Durres) is a headland sheltering the harbor of Durrës, Albania's principal port of entry. Located on the heights above the palace of King Zog I, which is one of the best known attractions in Durrës; visitors report it is possible to walk a short distance uphill from the palace to find the lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ALB-002; Admiralty E3711; NGA 14304.
Durrës South Mole
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower mounted on a large square concrete base. Tower painted red. HD Media Production has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater quay of Durrës harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty E3712; NGA 14312.
Durrës East Mole
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower mounted on a large square concrete base. Tower painted green (?). No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater. Site status unknown. Admiralty E3714; NGA 14316.
Kep i Lagit (1)
Date unknown. Inactive. KavajaOnline.com has a photo, the same photo is available on Panoramio.com, and Google has a satellite view. The active light (focal plane 71 m (233 ft); one long white flash every 6 s) has been moved to a much higher location; the old light had a focal plane of only 13 m (43 ft). The form of the new light is not known. Kep i Lagit is the promontory at the south end of the Gji i Durrësit (Durres Bay), about 15 km (9 mi) across the bay due south of Durrës. Located on the point fo the cape. Site status unknown. ARLHS ALB-014; Admiralty E3719; NGA 14320.
Kep i Treporteve
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) 2-stage stucco-covered stone tower; upper portion octagonal, lower portion square. Entire lighthouse is white. A building near the lighthouse may be a keeper's house. Leonard Xhaxho has a 2007 closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the northeast side of the entrance to the Gji i Vlorës, about 8 km (5 mi) east of Sazan Island and the same distance northwest of Vlorë. Site status unknown. ARLHS ALB-007; Admiralty E3727; NGA 14344.
Gji Dukatit (Kep i Pasha Liman, Sqepi Orikum)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) square masonry tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland sheltering the small port of Orikum, at the southern end of the Gji i Vlorës. Site status unknown. ARLHS ALB-013; Admiralty E3731; NGA 14360.
Sqepi i Sevasinit (Shen Vasilit)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 75 m (246 ft); three white flashes every 8 s. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rugged coast about 8 km (5 mi) north of Orikum on the west side of the Gji i Vlorës. Site status unknown. ARLHS ALB-015; Admiralty E3732; NGA 14352.
Ishull i Sazanit (Sazan Island, Saseno) (2?)
Date unknown (station established by the Ottoman Empire in 1871). Active; focal plane 193 m (633 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) round tower attached to a 2-story keeper's house. The lighthouse can be seen very distantly in a photo and second photo of the island. At the highest available resolution, one can see a skeletal tower standing next to the historic lighthouse. However, it also appears that the light may be mounted on the west corner of the old lighthouse. More information is needed! Sazan Island, known as Saseno in Italian, is located strategically in the mouth of the Gji i Vlorës, Vlorë Bay. The island was occupied by Britain after the Napoleonic Wars. In 1864 it was ceded to Greece, but since the Greeks did not occupy it the Ottomans did so, building a lighthouse in 1871. Greece finally took over the island in 1912, but ceded the island to Italy after World War I. The Italian Wikipedia article for Saseno states that the present lighthouse was built by Italy. Sazan was occupied by Albanian partisans in 1944 and Albanian ownership was confirmed in 1947. Located at the northwestern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat, and the island, site of a former Soviet air base, is a restricted military area. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ALB-004; Admiralty E3723; NGA 14328.
Kep i Palermos
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 113 m (371 ft); white flash every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) square stone tower. No closeup photo available, although Google has a good satellite view. The tower is barely visible near the top of a distant view of the cape (click on the photo for higher resolution), and a view of the station from the sea is available. Located on a prominent cape about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Himarë. ARLHS ALB-001; Admiralty E3734; NGA 14368.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted October 12, 2006. Checked and revised August 11, 2009. Lighthouses: 10. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.