French historian: How Durres was destroyed by the 13th century

The terrible earthquake of 1267 in Durres according to a very touching description by historian and scholar George Pachymeres (1242-1310).

French historian Alain Ducellier dates back to this tragic event in July 1267. “After some time, a bad and permanent event took place in Durres.

“During July, unusual noises were caused by constantly trembling land, noises that we would normally call groanings. They showed that something terrible was going to happen. One day the noise echoed more consistent and powerful than it had previously done.

Fears that came upon certain people caused them to go and find refuge outside the city, fearing that things would get worse. The night came upon the thunder of the day before, and with it there was a severe earthquake, more violent than any other in living memory.

It was not, as one might describe, a shake of the earth moving straight, but rather an extraordinary repeated blow and wave that immediately the whole city turned upside down and collapsed to the ground. The high houses and buildings, not resisting for a second, fell and collapsed, burying the residents inside. Because people had nowhere to escape, as buildings were built next to each other.

Indeed, the prospect of survival was much greater for those who stayed indoors than for those who left homes who had partially stayed. None of the buildings survived intact. They collapsed on each other and every building that escaped the fate of destruction was crushed by the fall of others.

The disaster was too sudden and extraordinary to allow one to survive by fleeing. For many, it was like a dream; they never knew what happened. Little children and babies, not realizing what had happened, were buried under the ruins. Insulting and dread were the same as survivors, finding themselves before the sea's noise, imagined that this was not just the beginning of an agony more than the end of the world.

Since the city was on the coast and the terrible earthquake had taken place so suddenly, those who found themselves outside and who were virtually deaf faced the way they were from such a riot and from the insurrection of houses that opened one after another could imagine nothing other than the destruction of the entire universe.

The quake lasted long enough until nothing remained standing. Everything within the city had collapsed by devouring the inhabitants, except for the Acropolis, which stood strong and survived the earthquake. When the day dawned, residents of the surrounding area rushed into the city and began digging, using everything they could get into their hands - picks, pitchforks, and any other means they could find.

They began digging on four sides, naturally trying to save any unfortunate victim, who could still be alive but also, seeking to get into their hands any valuables that could be extracted from the ruins. As it did, the heirs perished along with the property of the dead, and no one remained to seek his legitimate property.

Thus, after digging through the ruins for days and, with large pitchforks instead of capines, after collecting the gold they could, Albanians and those nearby eventually abandoned this ancient city in its desert, a city now hard to recognize, which was already listed among other cities not for its existence but only for its name. His bishop Nikita, who happened there at that time, survived, although he had to carry the wounds of the disaster throughout his body.

Seeing such a disaster that no one would ever think of, he panicked and hurriedly fled, leaving the metropolis deprived not only of its person but also of its inhabitants as well as of the former splendor of its buildings. ”

According to Majlinda Cami's post