The tower of Zef Ndocaj, in Kodër Spaç, Mirdita, is a typical residential tower that was once built in the northern area of Albania, declared a Cultural Monument, Category I. This fortified residence, like others in the Mirdita region, has distinctive characteristics of clear defensive features and the manner of their implementation.
The main purpose of defense is devoted to the layout from the ground, the compositional scheme of the residence with turrets placed at heights, the external architectural formulation, the insertion of stairs inside, the gate, the roof, etc.
Fortified residences are usually built in protected positions while the typological, functional, and architectural constructive and decorative elements are similar to those of fortified residences in other parts of the north, such as Mat, Kurbin.
The towers in these areas were once built by wealthy families, powerful in the community, and the number of their floors simultaneously expressed their social status.
The tower may have three, four, or more rooms. Where the stable is missing, the barn is used for livestock. A narrow staircase as soon as you enter the door leads to the men’s room or to friends, equipped with a hearth.
The most common planar forms of fortified residences in the Orosh region and beyond are those with corners formed by attaching an annex to the main volume of the residence. In the corners of the annex, the sanitary nodes of the floors are located.
The fortified residences of Mirdita are equipped with loopholes, unlike those of Mat and Dibra, they do not have windows but only embrasures. Apparently, the loopholes of Mirdita have lost the function of residence and have turned only into defensive elements.
