The rozafa castle

The Rozafa fortress is set up on a rocky hill at the entrance to the city of Shkodra. Above the steep hillside, the surrounding walls are built, which occupy an area of ​​about 9 ha. In ancient times the walls were of polygonal style, whose traces are preserved today. As Illyrian fortified center is mentioned for the first time during the reign of King Gent and historian Tit Livi calls it "the strongest labeat." The castle dates back to the Middle Ages, during which time it was occupied by Slavs and by the Byzantines. Within its walls are preserved a range of environments such as garrisons, warehouses, an administrative building and so on

The structure of the castle
The inner surface is separated from the walls of three courtyards, with doors between them. The third yard, which is smaller than the others, is located at the top of the hill. On its outskirts there are rectangles that replace the towers, while on the outer wall, the towers are denser. Within the castle there are several environments associated with a circular tower, a warehouse, and a three-story Venetian building. The second courtyard occupies the central and largest part of the castle being separated from the first courtyard with a no watchtower wall. Within him there are four storage tanks for water collections, square, covered with groves, from which the water was taken through the mouths of the wells. There is also a warehouse, a prison, and a church later converted into a mosque. The first courtyard communicates with the main entrance of the castle, before which in the years 1407-1416, a fortified courtyard was built, a system with sharp turns that occupy the eastern part of the castle. The courtyard consists of a 10-meter-long rectangular tower, 20 meters long, the lower floor of which is covered with a cylindrical gutter from the entrance. On both sides of this gallery there are four niche covered with cylindrical shingles.
The second floor of the tower ends with a partially roofed terrace, while the rest is surrounded by a parapet equipped with bedrena and turret. The door is covered with a double sectional sectional arch of wrought stone, on which is a half circular bow of two stone bracelets, inside which is engraved a decoration of a bow arch with a spiral shape at its height . Behind the tower hall there is a small rectangular courtyard with a small wall to the right. 

Here are the stairs to the watchdog. Facing the wall lies the main gate of the castle and a small gateway to it. To enter the inside of the castle, you have to pass a L-shaped corridor, covered with a cylindrical block, the end of which is enclosed by a second gate. Part of the pit is brick and in its bolt is a rectangular 40 x 55 cm hole serving to cast hot fuel over the opponent. In addition to the main entrance, the castle also has some small entrances serving for the maneuvering of forces in a siege or as a secret exit.
One of them, located at the foot of the Eastern Parade, is still preserved and has a depth of about 4 meters. The Venetians have been working on the towers of the towers and under these outfits there are constructions that belong to the time when Balshaj ruled. During the repairs, the outer wall of the walls has been provided with a sloping slope of up to half the height. On the western side of the castle, the steep rocky surface of the rock is dressed with rocks. Where wall cladding is not done, old techniques are distinguished by placing brick pieces between the stones, while the bows of the windows and the fridges are worked with bordered bricks. 

The towers have circular and rectangular shape, at a height of 12-16 meters. They are higher on the exterior and consist of a covered roof and serrated parapets. Entrance to the towers was done through an open door on their back wall, while the connection to the terrace was done through the inner stairs that ended up on the terrace through a side wall with a side wall or exterior stone staircase.
The fortress of Shkodra, with its powerful walls and towers, managed to withstand two long enclosures and bombardments with the artillery of the Turks in 1474 and 1478-79. The Castle of Shkodra has become a symbol of the ancient city, present in paintings, engravings, postcards, emblems, etc.