The urban developments of the city of Elbasan in different historical periods
The Ottoman conquest brought significant changes to Albania, which were also reflected in new features such as the layout and urban composition of the cities. A very visible example in this direction is the city of Elbasan. The beginning of the city of Elbasan and the new urban landscape belongs to the year 1466, when Sultan Mehmet II rebuilt for a period of 25 days, on the ruins of an old city, the castle that he called el-basan, which means "the ruler of the country". During the reconstruction, the existing floor plan of a ruined castle, built as early as the century IV of our era, using the tracts of the walls that were still standing. From this moment, Elbasan will take on special importance for the important geographical-strategic position it had. It will play a leading role in the Empire's military plans, while simultaneously becoming an important center of Islam. In the Castle, after the completion of the reconstruction, military garrisons, marching units, as well as representatives of the local government along with their families were placed. In essence, this represented an Ottoman population of Elbasan.