Elbasan Castle is one of the most important historical and architectural monuments in Albania, located at the heart of the city. It represents one of the largest fortifications in the country and is among the few castles in the Balkans fully integrated into modern urban life, functioning not only as a monument but also as a residential neighborhood with cultural institutions and traditional homes.

The site has ancient origins, with fortifications dating back to the 4th century as a Roman camp positioned along major routes, most notably the Via Egnatia, which connected Durrës to Constantinople. The structure assumed its most powerful and recognizable form during the reign of Sultan Mehmed I in the 15th century (around 1466), when it was rebuilt upon earlier Roman and Byzantine foundations and transformed into a strategic military stronghold controlling Central Albania.

The walls form a square enclosure surrounding a large area in the city center. Their total length of approximately 900 meters refers to the perimeter of the walls. Constructed of stone blocks, bricks, and mortar, the walls contain Roman and Byzantine foundation layers in their lower sections. At its peak, the fortress was reinforced by 25 defensive towers, each approximately nine meters high, distributed along the perimeter.