Sazan Island

Sazan Island is a mysterious military island with hidden bunkers and tunnels built to resist nuclear attack might become the next summer vacation destination in Europe. Even though Sazan Island, off the coast of Albania, has a beautiful shoreline, it remains a mystery among most Albanians. This is due to the fact that the island was formerly a fortified, isolated military station with no civilian population.

It is in a strategically vital area between the Strait of Otranto and the mouth of the Bay of Vlor, marking the boundary between the Adriatic and Ionian seas, and is a recognized military exclusion zone. The island’s total size is 5.7 km2 (2.2 sq mi). It is 4.8 kilometers (3.0 miles) long and 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) broad, with a shoreline of around 15 kilometers (9.3 mi).

The Karaburun-Sazan Sea Park was established in 2010 and covers 2,721.87 hectares (6,725.9 acres) of the island’s surrounding marine region. Sazan may be seen from the coast of Salento, Italy, to the west in clear weather. Since July 2015, the island has been available to the public.

History

Sazon was known to the ancient Greeks as Sason and to the ancient Romans as Saso. It was referenced in the Periplus by Pseudo Scylax. In 215 BC, there was a military clash between the soldiers of Philip V of Macedon and the Romans, according to Polybius. The island was formerly part of the Roman Empire and was afterwards ruled by the Byzantines. It was seized by the Anjou of Naples in 1279, and it was occupied by Albanian lords in the 14th century, frequently under the protection of the Republic of Venice.

It was taken by the Ottomans about 1400, but by 1696 it was under Venetian authority. It was placed under British protection in 1815, along with the Ionian Islands, which were declared an independent republic.

The island, along with the rest of the Ionian Islands, was given to Greece in 1864. It was a part of the Diapontia Islands. However, Greece did not occupy it, and it fell under Ottoman de facto rule. Greece did not legally claim the island until the First Balkan War in 1912, when it landed troops and named it Sasona (v). After the Second Balkan War ended in 1913, Italy and Austria-Hungary pressured Greece to leave the island and the southern half of current Albania. Greece evacuated it because of the fear of beginning a war with Italy.

On 30 October 1914, Italy captured it and created a military commander on the island, which is known in Italian as Saseno. The secret Treaty of London subsequently approved this on April 26, 1915. Albania officially surrendered the island to Italy on September 2, 1920, as part of the Albano-Italian agreement, after World War I.

From 1920 until 1945, the island was officially part of Lagosta, in the province of Zara, and was a part of Italy. During those years, the Italian government constructed a lighthouse and some naval defenses, as well as relocating a few families of fishermen from Apulia to the island.  During World War II, the island was joined with the Italian Governatorate of Dalmatia in 1941, and then handed to Albania on February 10, 1947, as part of the postwar peace settlement with Italy.

After WWII

Albania depended greatly on the Soviet Union during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. On the island and nearby regions, the Soviets developed a base for Whiskey-class submarines and a chemical/biological weapons factory at that period. Four submarines remained at Porto Palermo when communism fell. Many Soviet-era gas masks may still be seen strewn around the island’s valley.

The island is presently deserted, although there is a small Italian-Albanian naval facility there, which is primarily used to combat drug trafficking between southern Italy and Albania and as a training ground for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The Albanian government declared the surrounding sea waters of the island, as well as those of the neighbouring Karaburun Peninsula, a National Marine Park in 2010.

Legends

Sazan has inspired stories and tales of its past in addition to being a fantastic beach location. Legend has it that pirates utilized the island’s secluded coves to conceal the looted riches after intense fights to capture this highly wanted area. The many subterranean tunnels that run around Sazan may be what inspires these stories the most. Sazan is a destination that must be experienced personally because of its intriguing history and great beauty. Between May and October, several local travel organizations offer yearly touristic trips from Vlora to Sazan.