Byzantine Forum (Durrës) Travel Guide

The Byzantine Forum of Durrës, also known as the Byzantine Market Square (Tregu Bizantin), stands as a testament to the city's layered history. Constructed in the late 6th century AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Anastasios, it served as the central public space of Dyrrhachium, now Durrës. This forum was not merely a marketplace; it was the heart of the city's social, cultural, and political life. It occupied a key position among other significant public and religious buildings of the Byzantine era. The design featured a circular paved area, approximately 40 meters in diameter, with a podium and well at its center, surrounded by a colonnade of Corinthian columns. Originally, there were around 40 columns, though only a few remain standing today.Historical sources and archaeological expeditions reveal that the forum also hosted taverns serving food and workshops for crafting and trading glassware. Recent excavations have uncovered new insights into the forum's function throughout late antiquity and the Middle Ages, including evidence of a medieval cemetery.The Byzantine Forum bears resemblance to Constantine's Curved Forum in Constantinople, which was destroyed in 1204. Today, the Forum is located in the center of modern Durrës, near the Great Mosque and the Aleksandër Moisiu Theatre, and it still feels central to city life.