Zgërdhesh

Zgërdhesh is an archaeological site on a limestone spur near Fushë-Krujë, Albania. Its hillside preserves the remains of an Illyrian settlement.

Some scholars connect the site with ancient Albanopolis, although that identification remains debated. The settlement flourished during the fourth and third centuries BC.

Fortification walls, terraces, towers, and an acropolis trace the city across the hillside. Large limestone blocks form the western wall.

Inside the walls, bedrock shaped rooms, internal structures, drainage channels, and stepped streets. Pottery sherds mark local ceramic production across the settlement.

Archaeological finds include amphora fragments, coins from ancient trading centres, terracottas, and an Illyrian helmet. An Artemis statue also records the site's cultural life.

An early Christian chapel and a necropolis show that people remained here after the city's ancient decline. Later church remains add another historical layer.

The name Zgërdhesh appears in documents from the fifteenth century, long after the ancient settlement had been abandoned. Those records preserve the place's later identity.