Elbasan

Elbasan: castle wall

Elbasan, town, central Albania. It lies on the north bank of the Shkumbin River, in the highlands at the eastern end of a fertile, well-watered plain.

It was founded in 1466 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II, on the site of ancient Scampis, as a base for his military operations against the Albanian commander Skanderbeg. The town was a principal centre of Albanian nationalism during Ottoman rule. Until World War II about 85 percent of the populace was Muslim and most of the remainder Albanian Orthodox. Architectural remains of the former walled town are visible.

The trade centre of an olive-, corn- (maize-), and tobacco-growing region, Elbasan is linked by road and rail to the port of Durrës and other towns. The town’s economic activities include timber processing, engineering works, and the production of cement, soap, and olive oil. Cërrik, a few miles to the southwest, has a petroleum refinery. Pop. (2001) 87,797; (2011) 78,703.