Keshtjella

Kalaja (The Fortress) of Tirana was a road station of the Via Egnatia of the type Mansio-Mutatio. It composed the center of inhabitation with a variety of names since the first centuries of our era.

Tirkan (in 4-th century AD), Tergiana (in 1272) when in it was placed the chancellery of its ruler Karli I Anzhu and in today’s form according to Barleti, Tyranna (1505).
The fortress, a testimony of the city’s ancient past is found in the place where the two streets, the old and new crossed and which linked the capital with all Albania, north and south, east and west. Furthermore a castle or a fortress dominated each of the old ways through which one entered Tirana.

The castle of Lalmi (2-th century of our era) in the hill where Erzen River took the turn and permitted the road passage toward Petrela.

The castle of Tujan, where life traces are encountered since the first period of iron is a stony fortification in a quadrangle shape. Reconstructed in the 4-th century of our era it was the entrance gate of the corridor Dibër-Tiranë-Durrës.
On the other side, near the mountain of Vila, in the straits of Krraba, there is the Illyrian city of the Parthins-Persqopi (3-th century before our era), whose inhabitants later displaced to Petrela. Petrela castle is one of the imposing monuments that can still be visited.

The castle of Dorëzi that passes through the river of Treza and Piolli (the first period of iron age), then the castle of Ndroqi, Preza, Ishmi, altogether these antique and medieval castles made the defensive fence of Tirana. The castle of Tirana was and remained the historic kernel of the area of Tirana and an administrative residence during middle Ages.
It continued to do so during the 17-th century, when the city of Tirana expanded around it by having a filtered citizen centre (the social –cultural complex) built by Sulejman Pasha, the crafts and commercial trade from the north view, Namazgjanë and the bridge of Tabakëve from the east side, the government main buildings inside the location of the castle. The two other sides were raised upon the sides of Lana River.
It is thought that in 1640, Ahmet Beu made the restoration of the walls raising the height in antique structures. The long tower that still has a partially good condition was also a work of his. The castle is damaged again in the period between the inter- feudal wars of the 18-th century, where the troops of Ahmet Kurt Pasha of Berat collided with Bushatllinjtë. The immured people of Tirana defended it with heroism and the castle was not invaded by any of them. To this time belongs the system of embrasure for the fire guns in the highest part of the enclosing walls.
After 1814, the fortress of Tirana becomes residence of its new invaders; Toptans, who came from Kruja and built two houses, one for inhabitation and the other for reception, a function it continues to perform today. During the 20-th century, when its original function for defence was lost, big damages were observed. It lost a part of the enclosing walls and its full stylistic formulation of the building is almost unnoticeable from the rests. In our days in its territory are situated the Academy of Sciences, the Parliament and the National Gallery of Arts. ( Source: “Municipality of Tirana”)