Bay of Grama

The Bay of Grama (Albanian pronunciation: [ˈɟiːɾi i ˈgraːməs] — Albanian: Gjiri i Gramës) is a bay in the Ionian Sea situated along the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe. It is one of many bays of the western Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Riviera south of the Karaburun Peninsula.[1][2]

Grama Bay
Grama Bay
Grama Bay
LocationSouthern Europe
Coordinates40°12′56″N 19°28′24″E
Ocean/sea sourcesIonian Sea, Mediterranean Sea
Basin countriesAlbania
Max. widthca. 100 m (330 ft)
Average depthca. 200 m (660 ft)

Name

The name of the bay is closely associated with the engraved inscriptions in the surrounding coastal cliffs; Grama for the Greek word for 'letter'.[3][4] It is also referred to as Gram(m)ata, the plural form of 'Gram(m)a' from the inscriptions of thanksgiving left by Greek, Roman and medieval sailors in honour of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, and other patrons.[5][6]

Human history

In antiquity the bay of Grama was the only safe cove along the coast west of the Ceraunian Mountains.[2] The bay is home to precious archaeological, historical and cultural values, as it served as an important harbour and shelter for those sailing along the coast during classical antiquity.[7] On the vertical cliffs and rocks, there are numerous carved inscriptions in Ancient Greek, Latin and Medieval Greek.[8]

During the Second World War, it was used as a base for the Special Operations Executive.[9]

Geomorphology

Representing a rocky bay, the shore is dominated by coastal cliffs, sloping vertically into the sea and rocky, pebbled beaches. It stretches within the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park and was designated as a natural monument because of its outstanding landscape dotted with solutional and sea caves.[10][11]

Biodiversity

The precious landscapes of the bay are of global importance, because they contribute to the country's ecological balance and provide habitat for numerous globally threatened and endangered species. The sea caves are an exceptional ecosystem and give important refuge to the mediterranean monk seal, the rarest seal species in the world.[12][13]

A panoramic view above the Bay of Grama.

See also

References
  1. Agjencia Kombëtare e Zonave të Mbrojtura (AKZM). "Gjiri dhe shpella e Gramës". akzm.gov.al (in Albanian). Tirana. Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  2. Winnifrith, Tom (1992). Perspectives On Albania. Springer. p. 31. ISBN 9781349220502. ... in which there is only one safe cove, called 'Grammata'... 1944)
  3. "Discover Albania: Green Coast Attractions" (PDF). p. 16. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  4. Peter Lucas (16 February 2015). The OSS in World War II Albania: Covert Operations and Collaboration with Communist Partisans. McFarland, 2017. p. 50. ISBN 9781476609430.
  5. Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond (1994). Collected studies. Hakkert. p. 401.
  6. Agnes Jensen Mangerich (2006). Albanian Escape: The True Story of U.S. Army Nurses Behind Enemy Lines. University Press of Kentucky. p. 204.
  7. "THE FIRST MPA IN ALBANIA, SAZANI ISLAND – KARABURUNI PENINSULA, AS A REGIONAL PRIORITY CONSERVATION AREA FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY" (PDF). zrsvn.si. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  8. http://www.persee.fr/doc/reg_0035-2039_2007_num_120_2_7870#
  9. Roderick Bailey: The Wildest Province SOE In the Land of the Eagle, Vintage 2009 p206
  10. "Management Plan for National Marine Park Karaburun-Sazan" (PDF). mcpa.iwlearn.org. p. 10.
  11. Instituti i Monumenteve të Kulturës (IMK). "LISTA E MONUMENTEVE TË KULTURËS - QARKU VLORË 2017" (PDF). imk.gov.al (in Albanian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  12. Ministria e Mjedisit, Pyjeve dhe Administrimit të Ujrave. "Protected area gap assessment, marine biodiversity and legislation on marine protected areas" (PDF). undp.org. Tirana. p. 61.
  13. World Wide Fund for Nature. "Mediterranean Monk Seal One Of The Rarest Mammals In The World". wwf.panda.org/.

Sources
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