Albanian Costumes

Saranda. Albania 
21^st August 2014

Walking the robust Fortress

Crowning a massive hill in the Albanian hinterland beyond Saranda is the robust fortress of Ali Pasha (13^th c) and wealthy town of Gjirokastra. 

This is the site of an imposing Ottoman settlement including distinctive tower houses built by wealthy landowners, narrow cobbled streets of the old town and a busy bazaar, now bursting with tourists. 

Gjirokastra has been a UNESCO World Heritage town since 2004 and slowly, restorations are underway, particularly of some of the grand old mansions. 

Ethnographic Museum

One of the striking family mansions in the Albanian town of Gjirokastra was the birthplace of Communist Dictator, Enver Hoxha.  It has now been set up as an ethnographic museum.  Our guide, Demir showed us though and explained how large families (30 or more) would have traditionally lived in various rooms.  This of course, meant a wonderful display of textiles and costumes.

Interestingly, family members slept on mattresses rather like futons, which were put away during the day, giving rooms multiple functions.  It made me realise that the concept of a global village enclosed by a web of trade routes (in this case, Silk, Spice etc) is certainly not new.

(note the shoes)

Reminiscing

Corfu
12^th August 2014

Various pot-shots are seen on the façade to the right

While exploring the narrow cobbled streets of Corfu Town, we walked into an exhibition of Asian artefacts in the Palace of SS Michael & George. It was a stunning collection with a huge photo of my favourite building, the Taj Mahal. This was also an instant reminder of how much we were missing home. 

We moved through the exhibition halls and watched a young local lad absorbed in photographing everything in the museum, curtains and fireplaces included.  He’s either a budding Nat Geo photographer or a very cool cat burglar!.  Included in the display were a couple of very fine Uzbeki silk ikat coats and some small, hand-woven carpets.

Another hall held some delightful drawings of Corfu from the 1800’s.  Particularly interesting were the drawn versions of today’s panoramic photographs.  The artists' take on perspective was inspiring to say the least.  (Sadly, no photos were allowed.)  The building itself is being restored and the grandeur, both internally and externally of the Venetian building is evident.  At the front though, it is possible to see the damage done from cannon and rifle fire during turbulent times.   Its setting between the fort and town with a wonderful green park to the front allow us some understanding of how life must have been for those fortunate to be Corfu nobility.

Soothsaying in Delphi

Delphi
26^th July 2014

 

 Delphi is without doubt an experience not to be missed.  It underscores not only the principle of good real estate (location, location, location) but the value of dramatic effect.  In its time, Delphi was most certainly stage managed well; the result being its reputation and wealth celebrated widely.  It was considered the centre of the (Ancient Greek) world.

 

 As with many ancient sites, items of value are maintained properly in a museum and Delphi’s is a small gem.  Textiles of course, have not survived but we were able to grasp something of the splendour and glamour, of wealthy citizens from the exhibits.  Diaphanous gowns, robust body armour and exquisite gold jewellery.

 

Costumes & Armour

Nafplio
23^rd July 2014

Bourtzi appearing to float in Nafplio harbour

Nafplio's narrow cobbled streets

We took a few days to explore the Peloponnese by car.  Nafplio was most certainly on our list; it is another wonderful Greek town full of narrow cobble lanes with loads of atmosphere (and rather nice shops!). 

Our visit to the Archaeological Museum housed in a lovely Venetian mansion was well worth the time.  Their collection provided succinct but interesting information about a range of sites we had visited over the Argolis Region, Peloponnese. 

Highlights were a Mycenaean suit of armour (1400 BC) with a leather helmet decorated with boar tusks and terracotta face masks, used in Dionysus festivals, found in Tiryns. (These masks were vaguely reminiscent of those worn by New Guinea mud-men.) 

Nafplio is the kind of place you could happily wander all day or sit sipping cooling freddo-cappucino at sidewalk cafes.  I did find time to sneak into an impressive Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation Museum with a fairly extensive collection of traditional costumes, embroideries and household items.  Sadly, Greece has a turbulent history and many family textile heirlooms were sold off in hard times.  This is an excellent museum and well worth visiting.

 

Life in the Bronze Age

Museum of Mycenae
21^st July 2014

Cyclopean walls & Lion Gate

Discovering Mycenae, a Bronze Age civilization dating 1550-1200BC, is another feather in the cap of Heinrich Schliemann (who you’ll remember from Troy, of course).  Enthused by his rich findings on the basis of Homer’s epics, he also uncovered the grave and fortress of Agamemnon in 1874 deep in the Greek Peloponnese. 

Agamemnon's gold death mask

Aside from wandering the citadel with its famous Lion Gates, we were able to visit immense tholos tombs, built like beehives to house the (important) dead.  In one of these, Schliemann confirmed Homer’s description of the city as “rich in gold”, uncovering the wealth of Agamemnon.  

We spent time in the nearby museum which houses some of the most interesting finds from the site and reveals how sophisticated this civilization was.  Clay tablets inscribed with writing afford us insight into life within the complex and decorated dwellings depict hunting and battle scenes, religious activities and processions of court ladies. 

Sadly textiles did not survive (hardly surprising!) but we are at least able to glimpse their lives from remaining artefacts. Most engaging was decorated pottery, ornamental utensils and ornate jewellery made from precious stones and gold.