Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Avlona

AVLONA, or Valona (the ancient Αὐλών), a town and seaport of Albania, in the eyalet of Yanina. It stands on an eminence near the Gulf of Avlona, an inlet of the Adriatic, almost surrounded by mountains. The port, which is protected by the island of Sasseno, the ancient Saso, is the best on the Albanian coast. It is visited weekly by Austrian steamers, and carries on considerable intercourse with Brindisi, &c. The town is about a mile and a half from the sea, and has rather a pleasant appearance with its minarets and its palace, surrounded with gardens and olive-groves. The Christian population, of which a considerable proportion are Italians, is largely engaged in commerce ; while the Turks manufacture woollen stuffs and arms. The material imported into England for tanning, under the name of Valonia, is the pericarp of an acorn produced in the district. Avlona played an important part in the wars between the Normans and the Byzantine empire. In 1464 it was taken by the Ottomans; and after being in Venetian possession in 1690, was restored to them in 1691. In 1851 it suffered severely from an earthquake.