Durres

The Battle of Dyrrhachium (near present-day Durrës in Albania) took place on October 18, 1081 between the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118), and the Normans of southern Italy under Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria. The battle was fought outside the city of Dyrrhachium (also known as Durazzo), the Byzantine capital of Illyria, and ended in a Norman victory.

Arapaj is a village in the former municipality of Rrashbull, Durrës County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Durrës. It is a southern suburb of Durrës, located near the Mediterranean coast, approximately 6 kilometres south of this city.Arapaj is a noted archaeological site, containing the substantial Basilica of Saint Michael dedicated to Saint Michael, an early Palaeo-Christian church which is believed to back to the fifth or sixth century.

The Basilica of Saint Michael (Albanian: Bazilika e Shën Mëhillit) is a former basilica dedicated to Saint Michael, located in Arapaj, Durrës. Its ruins have been declared a Cultural Monument of Albania. The Basilica of Saint Michael is an early Palaeo-Christian church which is believed to date to the 5th or 6th century.