The Bay of Grama ( — sq, Gjiri i Gramës) is a bay in the Ionian Sea situated along the

Albanian Ionian Sea Coast The Albanian Ionian Sea Coast ( — ) is a coastline of the Northeastern Ionian Sea, that encompasses the southwestern border of the Republic of Albania, stretching from the southern half of Karaburun Peninsula, across the historical region of ...

on the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...

. It is one of many bays of the western

Ceraunian Mountains The Ceraunian Mountains ( sq, Malet e Vetëtimës, "Thunderbolt mountains"; el, Κεραύνια Όρη, ''Keravnia ori''; la, Cerauni Montes), also commonly Akroceraunian Mountains ( grc, Ἀκροκεραύνια, sq, Malet Akrokeraune "male ...

along the

Albanian Riviera The Albanian Riviera ( sq, Riviera shqiptare, ), also popularly known as Bregu, is a coastline along the Northeastern Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean Sea encompassing the districts of Sarandë and Vlorë in Southwestern Albania. It forms an impo ...

south of the Karaburun Peninsula. The bay is primarily known as a touristic place, and for the engraved inscriptions in the surrounding coastal cliffs as its name relieves.

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'. 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; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, from ''Dîos'' ( ...

Castor and Pollux Castor; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, from ''Dîos'' ('Z ...

, and other patrons.

Human history

In antiquity the bay of Grama was the only safe cove along the coast west of the

. 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 Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

. On the vertical cliffs and rocks, there are numerous carved inscriptions in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

Medieval Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Fall of Co ...

. This kind of inscriptions were known in antiquity as ''euploia'' ( el, ευπλοϊα) inscriptions. During the Second World War, it was used as a base for the Special Operations Executive.

Geomorphology

Representing a rocky bay, the shore is dominated by coastal cliffs, sloping vertically into the sea and rocky, pebbled

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

es. It stretches within the

Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park The Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park ( sq, Parku Detar Karaburun-Sazan) is a marine park in the Vlorë County of southwestern Albania. The marine park encompasses over and comprises the boundaries of both the Peninsula of Karaburun and the Island ...

and was designated as a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

because of its outstanding landscape dotted with solutional and

sea cave A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relic ...

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 Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

and endangered species. The sea caves are an exceptional

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

and give important refuge to the

mediterranean monk seal The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Ae ...

, the rarest

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

species in the world.

References

Sources