Sazan Island

Sazan is the largest island in Albania, about five and a half square kilometres at the mouth of Vlora bay, and it was a closed military zone for most of the twentieth century, used as a naval base and fortified with bunkers, tunnels and gun positions, with a garrison town that once housed several thousand people and was evacuated in the 1990s. It opened to controlled visits in 2015. What visitors see is the abandoned base: empty apartment blocks, a school, a cinema, workshops, tunnels driven into the rock, and bunkers on the ridges, with the vegetation taking it back. The island also carries good maquis and is important for birds. Access is only with licensed operators and parts remain restricted.

History

The ancient Greeks called the island Sason and the Romans Saso, and Polybius tells how the fleet of Philip V of Macedon anchored here before false reports of a strong Roman fleet made him withdraw; it passed from Rome to Byzantium. In 1264 Genoa and Venice fought the Battle of Sazan off its shores, in 1279 the Kingdom of Albania took it, and after the Balsha family seized Vlorë in 1371-1372 many people fled to the island under Venetian protection; by 1393 Venice's rule there was acknowledged, and by 1418 the Ottomans held Vlorë, its bay and Sazan (Wikipedia, Sazan).

What's there

• The abandoned garrison town - empty blocks, school and cinema.
• Rock-cut tunnels and bunkers - the fortification of the ridges.
• Vegetation reclaiming the base - maquis growing through the buildings.
• The bay mouth position - the island commanding the entrance to Vlora.

When to go

June to September, when trips run; sea conditions cancel them regularly. A day, usually combined with Karaburun. Trips are with licensed operators only and must be booked.

What to expect

Access is restricted and only with authorised operators; independent landing is not permitted. Parts of the island remain off limits. Buildings are derelict and unsafe, and wandering off the guided route is not allowed. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Karaburun peninsula is south-east; Vlora lies across the bay.

Key facts