Chimney with frescoes of flowers in the Ceremonial reception room on the 3rd floor of the Zekate House, a grand fortified tower house built 1811-12 with twin towers and a great double arched facade, built and owned by Beqir Zeko, a general administrator of Ali Pasha's government, Gjirokastra, Southern Albania. This large and elaborately decorated room was used for the most important social occasions. The frescoes of garlands of fruits and flowers is typical of the Tulip period of Ottoman architectural design and has symbolic meanings for the health, wealth and abundance of the household. Gjirokastra was settled by the Greek Chaonians, the Romans and Byzantines before becoming an Ottoman city in 1417. Its old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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