Këlcyrë (Albanian definite form: Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, located on the bank of the river Vjosë.

[5] The Byzantine Suda lexicon, writes that the Romans called the forts at the passes Kleisoúrai (Medieval Greek: Κλεισοῦραι),[6] which is the Medieval Greek rendering of the Latin word clausura in plural; the latter recorded for the first time in an order given by emperor Theodosius II in 443, while the former in the Strategikon of Maurice and the works of Procopius (early 6th c.) and Theophylact Simocatta (early 7th c.).

[7] By the late 7th century, the term came to be applied to more extensive frontier districts of Byzantium, distinct from the larger themata.

[citation needed] When the town was incorporated in the Kingdom of Albania in the late 13th century it was ruled by the Muzaka family.

[citation needed] At this time Këlcyrë experienced its bloom as a key trading center between Berat, Korça and Gjirokastra.

The Kelcyre Castle is a Tourist Attraction nearby the city.The road is the main access route through the gorge that connects Këlcyrë with Tepelenë and other centers of Albania.