Borsh Fortress

About

Borsh Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Borshit) also known as Sopot Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Sopotit) from the hill it is located, is a historic castle near the village Borsh, Albania, near the coast of the Ionian Sea.

The earliest finds date to the end of the Bronze Age, when early fortifications were built along the coast. Their purpose probably was to defend against Dorian attacks in the 12th century BC. Later in the second half of the 4th century BC the site evolved into a small hill town. The castle's fortifications follow the trace of an acropolis, with four subsequent phases of reconstruction, ranging from the early Byzantine period to the late Middle Ages. At the end of the 1st century BC the settlement was abandoned for more than 1100 years. Since then the history of the place has been closely linked with that of Himara. The name "Sopot" is of Slavic origin. In medieval Greek documents, the castle is named Sopoton or Sopotos, while its harbour is mentioned in Greek portolans with the name Gazopolis.

The site is first mentioned in the early 13th century, when archbishop Demetrios Chomatenos wrote of the "archonship of Sopotos", part of the region of Vagenetia....