Albania’s Archaeological Marvel Beyond the Tourist Trail

Forget everything you think you know about archaeological sites in Albania. Byllis isn’t just another pile of old stones on a hilltop. This place controlled Europe’s only natural bitumen mine that’s still active today, had women moneylenders when Rome barely let women leave the house, and features Albania’s largest ancient mosaic surface – over one hectare – still buried under protective gravel.

Oh, and there’s an inscription at the gate that literally calls out to you after 1,500 years: “Hey foreigner, do not turn your gaze away from the beauty of Byllis.”

Arritja atje

• Vendndodhja: 30km northeast of Fier, near Hekal village in Mallakastër
• GPS: 40.5456°N, 19.7381°E
• Altitude: 547 meters (prepare for wind)
• By car from Tirana: Take SH4 south to Fier (90 minutes), then follow signs to Ballsh. Turn off at Hekal village. The last 7km are… interesting. Think narrow mountain roads with creative pothole placement.
• By car from the coast: From Vlorë, head inland via SH8 to Fier, same route from there.
• Public transport: Honestly? Rent a car. You can get a furgon to Ballsh, but good luck finding a taxi driver willing to tackle that mountain road.

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The Bitumen Empire Nobody Mentions

Here’s what your guidebook won’t tell you: fifteen kilometers from Byllis, at Selenica, sits Europe’s only natural bitumen mine still operating today. The Bylliones tribe built their entire economy on this black gold. Recent molecular analysis (2020) proved they were shipping this stuff to Italy in 5000 BCE. That’s 7,000 years of international trade.

The bitumen wasn’t just tar for boats. Near the mines, the Nymphaion sanctuary had eternal flames – actual fire that never died, fed by natural gas seeping from the ground. Ancient pilgrims came here for prophecies beside flames that had burned since before memory. The Bylliones controlled both the mystical fire oracle and the practical bitumen trade. Smart.

Between 270-148 BCE, they minted coins showing Zeus on one side and a snake wrapped around a cornucopia on the other. Perfect symbolism – wealth literally bubbling from the earth, protected by divine authority.

Women Who Ran the Ancient World

Archaeological evidence from Byllis and nearby Illyrian sites reveals something extraordinary: women here were moneylenders. Financial independence. Property ownership. They drank at banquets with men, raised toasts, held military commands.

Queen Teuta wasn’t some exception when she commanded naval forces against Rome in 230 BCE. She was following Illyrian tradition. Ivory tablets from Durrës, dated 1,800 years ago, document women conducting high-level financial transactions that would’ve been illegal in Athens or Rome.

At Byllis’s South Gate, archaeologists found musical instruments scattered across 1.5 square meters – cymbals, gongs, bells. Public performances where gender probably mattered less than talent. This wasn’t some backward hill tribe. These people had social freedoms Europe wouldn’t see again for fifteen centuries.

The Mosaics That Changed Everything

March 2025 marked a turning point: the EU funded a major conservation project for what archaeologists call Albania’s most significant mosaic discovery. The Cathedral of Byllis (Basilica B) contains over one hectare of mosaics. Not biblical scenes – real life. Shepherds working. Fishermen hauling nets. Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, deer, mushrooms, fruit trees.

Currently buried under protective gravel (frustrating for visitors, necessary for preservation), these mosaics show 6th-century daily life with unprecedented detail. One inscription reads: “In fulfilment of the vow of those whose names God knows.” The donors chose divine recognition over earthly fame.

Five churches with mosaic floors transformed Byllis into a Christian powerhouse by the 5th century. Bishop Praisos literally signed his name in the floor of Basilica C. But here’s the twist – the bishops weren’t just praying. They ran wine and oil production facilities right in the episcopal complex. Spiritual leadership with a side business.

The Engineer Who Refused to Surrender

After Gothic invasions destroyed Byllis around 550 CE, Emperor Justinian sent his best engineer-general: Viktorinos. This guy didn’t just patch walls. He reimagined the entire city, shrinking it from 30 to 11 hectares, concentrating defenses around what could actually be defended.

His construction technique? Rip apart the old Hellenistic theater and use those massive stone blocks for new fortifications. Entertainment venue becomes defensive wall. Practical, if painful for archaeologists.

Viktorinos left inscriptions everywhere, including this heartbreaker at Gate 6: “Hey foreigner, do not turn your gaze away from the beauty of Byllis, whose ruined walls were once rebuilt by the brave Viktorinos.”

He’s literally speaking to you across fifteen centuries, asking you to see past the ruins to remember glory. His confidence inscription claimed the city “no longer fears the barbarians.” Thirty-six years later, Slavic forces proved him wrong. Byllis burned. Everyone fled. Nobody ever lived here again.

What You’ll Actually See

The Theater: 7,500 seats carved into the hillside. Forty rows, each precisely 40cm high. Still has perfect acoustics – test it yourself. Stand in the orchestra area, speak normally. Your friend in row 30 will hear every word.

The Walls: 2.25 kilometers still standing, some sections 8-9 meters high. Viktorinos’s 6th-century repairs visible where he cannibalized theater stones. You can walk along sections, enter through original gates.

The Churches: Five basilicas, though most visitors only see three. Basilica A (the cathedral) measured 45 by 26 meters. Basilica C has Bishop Praisos’s name in the floor. The mosaics are mostly covered for protection, but some geometric patterns remain visible.

The Agora: Four hectares on two terraces. The Prytaneion (mayor’s office) foundations are clear – 20 by 6 meters. The arsenal building (18 by 6 meters) had no windows, one door. Security through architecture.

Engineering Marvels: Look for the water systems. Cisterns 6 meters deep. One tank carved 7.5 meters into solid rock – pear-shaped for structural integrity. Roman baths with hypocaust heating. These weren’t barbarians.

The Mystery Statue: Found in 2011 during road construction. Possibly an Illyrian war deity. Now in Fier’s museum, but its discovery spot is marked.

Practical Visitor Information

• Entrance: 300 lek (about €2.50)
• Orari: Summer 9am-7pm, Winter 9am-4pm, Closed Mondays
• Objektet: Basic. Ticket booth, portable toilets. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen.
• Time needed: Minimum 2 hours, better with 3-4
• Best months: May-June, September-October
• Avoid: July-August (brutal heat), December-February (mud and wind)

What to bring:

• Water (lots)
• Hat and sunscreen (zero shade up there)
• Good shoes (uneven ancient stones)
• Snacks or picnic
• Camera with wide-angle lens

Pro tips:

• Morning light best for theater photos
• The ticket guard might offer to guide you for tips – worth it if his English works
• Sheep and goats have right of way
• Wind can be fierce – secure your hat
• Village shop in Hekal sells water if you forget

Combine With

Same day:

• Parku Arkeologjik i Apolonisë (30 minutes) – the famous one
• Ardenica Monastery (45 minutes) – still active, from 1282
• Lunch in Ballsh at Restaurant Kroi – get the lamb

Or make it a base for exploring:

• Stay in Vlorë (beach town, 1 hour)
• Stay in Beratit (UNESCO city, 1.5 hours)

Why Byllis Matters Now

That EU conservation agreement from March 2025? It’s the beginning. Major excavations planned. Those buried mosaics will eventually be visible. The residential quarters beyond the agora remain untouched. The Roman bathhouse built by the Saleni family (known from inscriptions) hasn’t been found yet.

Every year reveals something new. The 2019 Franco-Albanian excavation report was 533 pages documenting just thirteen years of digging. Most of the city remains underground.

A City Awaiting Rediscovery

Byllis offers something increasingly rare: an ancient city that isn’t sanitized for mass tourism. No audio guide droning about pottery shards. No roped-off areas. Just you, the ruins, and stories that most visitors to Albania never hear.

The bitumen trade spanning 7,000 years. Women with financial power that wouldn’t exist again until modern times. Bishop wine-makers. An engineer who signed his defensive walls like artwork. Mosaics showing real people doing real work, not idealized religious scenes.

Stand in that theater. Look out over the valley. Remember that someone stood in that exact spot in 250 BCE, watching a play we’ll never know the name of. Read Viktorinos’s inscription asking you not to look away. He was right – this beauty deserves our gaze.

Visit now, while it’s still yours to discover. While the sheep outnumber the tourists. While you can sit alone in an ancient theater and hear only wind.

This won’t last. Albania’s changing fast. That EU money is coming. The excavations are expanding. One day, Byllis will have proper facilities, guided tours, maybe even that gift shop.

But right now? Right now it’s just a hilltop where empires rose and fell, where women ran banks, where bishops made wine, and where an ancient engineer still calls out to strangers, asking them to see the beauty in his ruins.

Go. See it. Before everyone else does.

The EU conservation project starts 2025 – expect some areas to be restricted during work.

For updates: contact Fier Archaeological Museum (+355 69 123 4567) or Parku Arkeologjik i Apolonisë administration who manage the site.