Gjirokastra is like an Albanian eagle perched on the mountain side with a mighty citadel for its head. The fortress surveys the Drino valley above the three and four – storey houses clinging to the slopes. Both buildings and streets are made of the same white and black stone. Gjirokastra’s population is around 40’000 and one of the biggest cities of southern Albania. Gjirokastra has a flourishing bazaar where embroidery, felt, silk and the still – famous white cheese , TR,were traded. What strikes the visitors most in Gjirokastra are its typical and characteristic houses which resemble little fortresses, clustered one above other. In the center of the town is the Memedheu ABC Monument, commemorating the renaissance of Albanian education around the turn of 20th century. Dominating the town is the 14th century citadel, now a museum of Armaments, with a collection of old cannons and guns.