Himar Beach

The town of Himarë is believed to have been founded as Χίμαιρα, (Chimaira or Chimaera, hence the name Himara) by the Chaonians as a trading outpost on the Chaonian shore. However, another theory according to the name suggest that comes from Greek χείμαρρος (cheimarros), meaning "torrent".

Chimaera, the ancient city from which Himara evolved, was one of the most important cities of Chaonia, one of the three tribes of Ancient Epirus that commenced south of Valona and continued to the south up to the River Thyamis (modern-day Kalamas). Other cities that were part of Ancient Chaonia were Orikon, Paleaste, Maeandreia, Phoenike, Vouthroton, Antigonea and others. The origin of the name Chimaera lies in the mythical beast Chimaera (or Chimera), slain by Bellerophon; later the name evolved to Himara; in the latter Byzantine years the spelling was wrongly changed to Cheimarra and after the region's accession to the Albanian state took its name Himara, as you know it today. The etymology of the name was wrongly imputed to derive from Cheimarros (small torrential river-stream).

The correct Latin spelling is considered Himara and not Himara as we mentioned earlier the name derives from Chimaera (also Chimera or Chimæra, Greek: Χίμαιρα). Numerous historical references and ancient maps evidence this version perfectly and show the name Himara or Chimera with CH not with H.

The old town of Himara within the ancient surrounding walls of the Castle is the site of continual human habitation for over three thousand years, and this means that monuments and architectural elements coexist side by side from all the periods covered by that span. Points of the lower and oldest level of the Hellenistic walls contain exceptional and carefully squared off megaliths that date back to the second millennium B.C. (also known as Cyclopean walls). The now deserted bishop's mansion was built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the god Phoebus Apollo. An inscription found there in Ancient Greek proclaims that "ΦΟΙΒΟΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ ΧΙΜΑΙΡΑΝ ΕΠΟΛΙΣΕΝ", in other words Phoebus Apollo founded the city of Himara.