Durrës Byzantine Forum

Ruins in Durrës

Byzantine Market Square In Durres
CC BY-SA 4.0 / GentiBehramaj

The Byzantine Forum is located in the centre of Durrës, as it would have in the ancient city of Dyrrhachium or Dyrrah. It would have occupied a central position in relation to the other large public and religious constructions of the Byzantine period. They were built at the end of the 6th century during the reign of the Roman Emperor Anastasios (481-518).

The forum is considered one of the best examples of Late Roman and Early Byzantine Period monuments in Albania.  The Forum bears a strong resemblance to Constantine’s Curved Forum in Constantinople which was unfortunately, was destroyed in 1204 by by soldiers of the Fourth Crusade.

The forum is also known as the Byzantine Market Square (Tregu Bizantin), and the site was originally described as a traditional open market complex in Roman times. The Forum has a circular paved area about 40 m in diameter, at the center of which stands a podium and a well, these are surrounded by Corinthian columns.

Within the forum are the Roman thermal baths of Durres which were found in the 1960s along with the amphitheatre. What’s left is a five by seven metre hypocaust and a shower.

The Durrës Byzantine Forum appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Durrës!

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Visiting Durrës Byzantine Forum

Address: Rruga Aleksander Goga, Durrës, Albania

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