Native name: Ishulli i Sazanit | |
|---|---|
 Sazan seen from theKaraburun Peninsula | |
  Sazan | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 40°29′37″N19°16′50″E / 40.49361°N 19.28056°E /40.49361; 19.28056 |
| Area | 5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi) |
| Length | 4.8 km (2.98 mi) |
| Width | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 344 m (1129 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| State | Vlorë County |
| Municipality | Vlorë |
Sazan Lighthouse   | |
| Constructed | 1871 (first) |
| Height | 11.9 m (39 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower attached to a 2-storey keeper's house[2][3] |
| Power source | solar power |
| First lit | 1920s (current) |
| Focal height | 157 m (515 ft) |
| Range | 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl(4) W 15s |
Sazan Island (Albaniandefinite form:Ishulli i Sazanit)[a] is anAlbanian uninhabitedisland in theAdriatic Sea. The largest ofAlbania's islands, it is a designatedmilitary exclusion zone; it lies in a strategically important location between theStrait of Otranto and the mouth of theBay of Vlorë, which marks the border between the Adriatic andIonian seas.
In 2010, 2,721.87 hectares (6,725.9 acres) of the island's surrounding marine area was designated as theKaraburun-Sazan Marine Park.[4] In clear weather, Sazan is sometimes visible from the coast ofSalento,Italy, to its west. The island has been open to the public since July 2015.[5] The island has a surface area of 5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi). It is 4.8 km (3.0 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) wide, and its coastline measures about 15 km (9.3 mi).[6]
Sazan was known asSason (Σάσων) to the ancient Greeks, andSaso to the ancient Romans. Pseudo-Scylax mentioned it in hisPeriplus.[7]Polybius wrote that there had been a military encounter there in 215 BC between the forces ofPhilip V of Macedon and the Romans. The island was part of theRoman Empire, and later came underByzantine rule.
In 1264, a naval clash known as theBattle of Sazan took place off the island, between theRepublic of Genoa and theRepublic of Venice.
In 1279, it was captured by theKingdom of Albania, and in the 14th century, it was held byAlbanian lords, often under the protection of the Republic of Venice.
In 1371–1372, following the seizure ofVlorë by theBalsha noble family, many inhabitants fled to the nearby Sazan Island, where they placed themselves under Venetian protection. Although the Balshas retained control of the surrounding mainland territories such as Vlorë andKaninë, Venice effectively exercised practical control over Sazan. By the late 1380s,Comita Muzaka, widow ofBalsha II, formally recognized Venetian dominion over the island by providing an annual tribute of rowers for the Venetian fleet, confirming Venice's legal authority there.[8]
A contemporary record from 18 September 1372 inRagusa records a maritime incident involving Sazan island. Jurça, a sailor, appeared before therector Ser Johannes de Grede to complain about Potrentinus, his brother Miralia, and Goico Stanče of Vlorë, who were then residing on Sazan Island. He reported that in June of the previous year, they had captured him along with two of his ships, seizing fifteengold ducats, two swords, three shields, a bow with its string, a barrel of wine, and two sacks of cloth. They also detained him and his sailors for a full month. This event is documented in the "Lamento de foris 1370–1373."[9]
By 1393, Sazan was securely acknowledged as under Venetian control, while Vlorë and Kaninë remained under Comita's authority. Following Comita's death, her daughterRugjina Balsha's husband,Mrkša Žarković, ruled thePrincipality of Vlorë from 1396 to 1414, after which Rugjina Balsha herself ruled from 1414 to 1417. Eventually, the advancing Ottomans captured the region, and by 1418, Vlorë and the surrounding bay, including Sazan, fell under Ottoman control.[8]
Before the establishment of Ottoman control, Sazan Island was an important maritime and religious site in the southern Adriatic. The island hosted aMarian shrine, recorded in Italian sources asS. Maria della Suazi, and later identified with theGreek Orthodox chapel dedicated to theVirgin Mary. By the late 15th century, a second chapel dedicated toSaint Nicholas is also recorded on the island. These religious sites were part of a broader network of coastal shrines devoted to Mary and St Nicholas, including S. Maria de Casopoli inCorfu, and S. Maria de le Scanfarie in theStrofades Islands, reflecting the island's role as both a spiritual sanctuary and a navigational landmark. Sazan was located along a perilous stretch of the Adriatic, where sailors faced dangerous currents, storms, and the risk of shipwreck, and its bays provided a sheltered anchorage. Monastic buildings on the island contributed to its reputation for holiness. Marian and St Nicholas shrines were frequently paired along Adriatic maritime routes, reflecting their role in providing protection to seafarers. Pilgrimage itineraries and liturgical sources, such as the Sante Parole, mention Sazan Island and indicate its importance as a religious site for travelers during the Late Middle Ages.[10]
By the late 15th century, Sazan had become an importantOttoman naval base in theAdriatic. A contemporary travel account byArnold von Harff in 1497 described Sazan as a very fine harbour where the Ottomans regularly stationed ships. The island contained two small Greek Orthodox chapels, one dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the other to Saint Nicholas, and was also used by theSultan to graze valuable horses. The Ottoman forces launched their 1480 expedition across the Adriatic toApulia andCalabria from Sazan, leading to thecapture of Otranto.[11]
In the early 16th century, the Ottoman admiral and cartographerPiri Reis, in his bookKitab-ı Bahriye, completed in 1521, described Sazan as a navigational landmark. He noted the presence of drinking water and a landing place on the eastern side of the island, as well as the ruins of a church; possibly the remains of the chapels mentioned by Arnold von Harff a few decades earlier. Piri Reis also advised anchoring in tenfathoms of water to avoid the rocky seabed, and warned of a submergedreef nearby.[12]
By 1696 it fell back into Venetian suzerainty.
After the ending of theNapoleonic Wars in 1815, the island came under British control together with theIonian Islands as part of theTreaty of Paris. In 1864, the island was ceded toGreece along with the Ionian Islands.[13] But Greece did not occupy it, and it came under thede facto control of theOttomans. The ending of theFirst Balkan War in 1913 saw Italy taking control of the island and putting a military post there.[13] This was later ratified on 26 April 1915 by the secretTreaty of London. AfterWorld War I, Albania formally ceded the island to Italy on 2 September 1920 as part of theAlbano-Italian protocol. The island was part of Italy from 1920 until afterWorld War II, administratively part ofLagosta, in the province ofZara. In those years, the Italian authorities built alighthouse and some naval fortifications, and populated the island with a few families of fishermen relocated fromApulia.[14]
DuringWorld War II, Sazan was home to a base for German and Italian submarines. After the war, in 1947, theParis Peace Treaty transferred sovereignty over the island to Albania.[13]
During theCold War between theSoviet Union and the United States, Albania relied heavily on the Soviet Union. During that time, the Soviets built a base forWhiskey-class submarines and a chemical/biological weapons plant on the island and surrounding areas. The island stationed around 3,000 soldiers during this period.[15][16] However, theSoviet-Albanian split in the early 1960s marked the end of the Soviet naval presence on Sazan.[13] After the fall ofcommunism four submarines remained atPasha Limani port in the bay of Vlore.[17] To this day, many Soviet-eragas masks can still be found scattered around the valley of the island.
The island now is uninhabited but there is a small Italo-Albanian naval base, of reportedly two soldiers, used mainly to countercontraband between southern Italy and Albania, as a training field for the BritishRoyal Navy and as shelter for boats in nearby Albanian waters.[18][17][19][15][16] There are approximately 3,600 nuclear bunkers which were built by Albania during the Cold War.[15] There is also avilla on the island belonging to the former communistdefence ministerBeqir Balluku. In 2010, the island's surrounding sea waters, and those of adjacentKaraburun Peninsula were proclaimed a National Marine Park by the Albanian government.
Sazan is the largest island in the country and Albania's westernmost point. It is strategically located at the entrance to theBay of Vlorë, in the easternStrait of Otranto separatingItaly from Albania. It is also located at the informal junction line of theAdriatic andIonian Sea inside theMediterranean Sea, which is just to the south according to international scientific bodies.
The island is composed oflimestone rocks, which was formed during theCretaceous period, while the eastern part is partially composed of terrigenic and cleistogenic deposits.[20] It has four peaks, the highest standing at 344 m (1,129 ft)above sea level followed by two peaks in the center 331 m (1,086 ft) and 307 m (1,007 ft), and the lowest with 228 m (748 ft) in the south of the island.[1] Sazan has a coastline of about 15 km (9.3 mi) characterized by sandy beaches, capes, rocky cliffs and underwater fauna.
Along its western shore the cliffs descending up to 40 m (0.025 mi) underwater. Capes of the island include the Bay of Paradise (Gjiri i Parajsës), Bay of St. Nicholas (Gjiri i Shënkollit), Cape of Shënkoll, Cape of Kallam, Cape of Jug, Cape of Pëllumba, and Cape of Pulbardha.[1]
A smalltornado orwaterspout was spotted along the coast coming inland in August 2002.[21]
| Climate data for Sazan (1991–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 18.6 (65.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 25.6 (78.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 25.8 (78.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 19.6 (67.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 22.0 (71.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 10.5 (50.9) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 21.3 (70.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 21.2 (70.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.1 (55.6) | 11.1 (52.0) | 16.0 (60.9) |
| Average precipitation days | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 74 |
| Source: METEOALB Weather Station | |||||||||||||
Biogeographically, Sazan Island falls within theIllyrian deciduous forests terrestrialecoregion of thePalearcticMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub. Due to the combination of southern geographiclatitude and highaltitude and as well the variation of climate, geological and hydrological conditions have contributed to the formation of a uniqueflora inside the island.
The variety of flora and vegetation can be explained by its strategic position between the western and easternMediterranean Sea.[22] The island is home to 435 species (419indigenous) ofvascular plants, or 8.2% of Albania's entire vascular flora.[22] There are only one endemic (Limonium anfractum) and three subendemic (Centaurea pawlowski,Scutellaria rupestris andVerbascum guicciardini) plants.[22] The varied relief creates various ecological environments for plants, further diversified by the dominant rock types which form siliceous and calcareous terrain on the territory of the park. The rocky shores andlimestone sea cliffs on the southern corners of Sazan are home to numeroushalophile species such asLotus cytisoides andLimonium anfractum.[22] The forests of Sazan are generally composed ofshrubs,sclerophyll forests withholm oak,deciduous forests withhophornbeam andsouth European flowering ash.[22]
Due to its specific topographic, climatic, hydrological, and geological conditions, the island has unique vegetation and biodiversity. The fauna is represented by 15 species ofmammals (including 8 species of bats such as thecommon pipistrelle, andsoprano pipistrelle[23]), 39 species ofbirds,[24] 8 species ofreptiles, 1 species ofamphibia and as well as 122 species of invertebrates.[23] The bird species in Sazan with high conservation value include 23songbirds, 5bird of preys, 3pigeons, and 3swifts.[23]
The amphibians are represented by 1 of which include thegreen toad nesting in the wet deciduous forests and the forest streams. There are eight reptile species. TheMediterranean house gecko,Hermann's tortoise,Balkan pond turtle,sheltopusik,blue-throated keeled lizard,Balkan wall lizard,Montpellier snake, andBalkan whip snake are present in most rocky and wet natural habitats on the island.[23]
There are 122 identified species, including 113insects, but their actual number is estimated to be higher.[23] Among the insects forty arebeetles, sixteenbutterflies, twenty-twoheteroptera, twentyorthoptera, fivedragonflies, and tenhymenoptera.[23]
The total area of National Park Karaburun-Sazan is 12,570.82 ha, with marine area near Karaburuni having 9,848.95 ha and marine area near Sazani island having 2,721.87 ha.
Media related toSazan at Wikimedia Commons| Sea | ||
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| Sazan Lighthouse | |
