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The castle of Dajt is located on the western slope of Mount Dajti, on a top hill to the
right of the road leading from King Park restaurant (ish – Kampi i Punëtorëve) to the
mountain. Being at an altitude of about 1,200 m above sea level, from there can be
observed a wide panoramic view of Tirana, till to the coast of Adriatic.
Castle has an area of 1.12 hectare, and most of it is in quite steep terrain and for
construction of houses are opened terraces. Terraces, on which are build dwellings,
ranges from 5 m - 15 m width. The western hill on which the castle was built is less
steep and goes down in a flat area and northwestern and eastern sides of castle fall
with a great slope on two mountain streams.
Walls of the castle follow the shape of the hill, forming a triangle. They have a
perimeter of about 550 m, north wall has a length of 150 m, easterner wall 190 m,
while the south wall 210 m. The northern part of fortification is the highest and is
separated by a transverse wall creating a small acropolis about 25 x 20 m.
The castle walls are 2.30 m wide in less protected parts of the terrain, such as the
western side of castle and are 1.40 m wide in naturally protected parts of terrain. The
walls are built with raw stones mixed with mortar.
Significant elements of the fortification of the castle of Dajt are towers located at
each vertex of the triangle. South Tower has a circle shape with external diameter of
7.30 m and wall
thickness 1.15 m, its entrance has a small width of 0.85 m. Western tower has the
shape of a half circle with external diameter of 5 m, its entrance is 1.60 m width.
Along 190 meters of the wall it can clearly discerned foundations of buildings. It is
well distinguished one building that is supported on the wall of castle. It has
dimensions 5.90 m x 5.89 m. and is built with stone blocks without mortar. The
largest dwelling has dimensions of 6.20 x 6.50 m.
Last tower is located at 1149 m above sea level. The great slope of the terrain in this
part has made walls with a thickness of 0.90 m. Some coins discovered in the castle
can help in dating. These coins belongs Tiberius Constantine II (582-602).
In his chronicle Procopius of Cesarea writes that the Byzantine Emperor Justinian
(527-566) built in New Epirus 32 Castle and rebuild 26 other in order to protect New
Epirus from
Slavs attacks. If the Castle of Dajt is one of these, then it belongs to the half of VI
century.
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