Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 21:16, 17 November 2010

Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër, seen from the Citadel
Country	Albania
County	Gjirokastër County
District	Gjirokastër District
Government
• Mayor	Flamur Bime
Elevation	300 m (1,000 ft)
Population
• Total	43,095
Time zone	UTC+1 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6001-6003
Area code	084
Car Plates	GJ
Website	www.gjirokastra.org

Gjirokastër (known also by several alternative names) is a city in southern Albania with a population of around 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is also the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County. Its old town is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate." Gjirokastër is situated in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino River, at 300 meters above sea level. The city is overlooked by the Gjirokastër Castle.

The city appears in the historical record in 1336 as Argyrokastro, under the Byzantine administration of the Despotate of Epirus, when it was a center of the Albanian families of Zenebishi and Bua-Shpata. From 1386 to 1418 it was the capital of the Principality of Gjirokastër, under Gjon Zenebishi before falling under the Ottoman Empire. After the Ottoman defeat in the Balkan Wars and the subsequent withdrawal of the Greek Army, it became again a capital, this time of the short lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus. Gjirokastër is also the city of birth of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha and notable writer Ismail Kadare. It also hosts the Eqerem Çabej University.

Alongside Albanians, the city is also home to an ethnic Greek community, as well as to communities of Vlachs and Roma. Gjirokastër is considered the center of the Greek community in Albania.

Name

The name of the city appeared for the first time in historical records under its medieval Greek name of Argyrocastron (Template:Lang-el), as mentioned by John VI Kantakouzenos in 1336. The name comes from Greek "Αργυρό" ("Αrgyro"), meaning "silver" and "Κάστρον" ("Kastro"), meaning castle, thus "Silver castle". The theory that the city took the name of the Princess Argjiro, a legendary figure on whom Ismail Kadare wrote a poem in the 1960s is considered a folk etymology, since the princess is said to have lived later, in the 15th century. The definite Albanian form of the name of city is Gjirokastra while in the Gheg Albanian dialect it is known as Gjinokastër. In Aromanian the city is known as Ljurocastru, while in modern Greek it is known Αργυρόκαστρο (Argyrokastro). During the Ottoman era the town was also known in Turkish as Ergiri.

History

Archaeologists have found in Gjirokastër pottery objects of the early Iron Age, which first appeared in the late Bronze Age in Pazhok, Elbasan District and are found throughout Albania. The earliest recorded inhabitants of the area around Gjirokastër were the Greek tribe of the Chaonians.

The city's walls date from the 3rd century AD. The high stone walls of the Citadel were built, instead from the 6th to the 12th century.

The city developed into a major commercial center known as Argyropolis (Template:Lang-grc, meaning "Silver City") or Argyrokastron (Template:Lang-grc, meaning "Silver Castle").

It was part of the Byzantine Despotate of Epirus and it was first mentioned, by the name of Argyrokastro, in 1336 by the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. During 1386–1418 it became the capital of the Principality of Gjirokastër under Gjon Zenebishi. In 1417 it became part of the Ottoman Empire.

It was captured in 1811 by the Albanian-born Ali Pasha, who carved out his own semi-autonomous fiefdom in the southwestern Balkans. In the late 19th century, the city was the capital of the sandjak of Ergiri in the Yanya vilayet. On July 23, 1880 southern Albanian committees of the League of Prizren held a congress in the city, in which was decided that if Albanian-populated areas of the Ottoman Empire were ceded to neighbouring countries they would revolt. During the Albanian National Awakening the city was a major centre of the movement and some bands of the city were reported to carry portraits of Skanderbeg, the national hero of the Albanians during their activities.

In April 1939, Gjirokastër was occupied by Italy and was annexed to that country along with the rest of Albania. During the Second World War, the Greek Army entered the city in 1940 and stayed for a brief six months period, before capitulating to the Germans and returning the city to Italian command. After Italy's capitulation Germany invaded and took control in September 1943, but the city returned to Albanian control in 1944.

The postwar Communist regime developed the city as an industrial and commercial centre. It was elevated to the status of a "museum town", birthplace of the Communist leader of Albania, Enver Hoxha, who had been born there in 1908. His house was converted into a museum.

Gjirokastër suffered severe economic problems following the end of communist rule in 1991. In the spring of 1993, the region of Gjirokastër became a center of open conflict between Greek minority members and the Albanian police. The city was particularly badly affected by the 1997 collapse of a massive pyramid scheme which destabilised the entire Albanian economy. The city became the focus of a rebellion against the government of Sali Berisha and violent anti-government protests took place which eventually forced Berisha's resignation. On December 16, 1997, Hoxha's house was damaged by unknown (but presumably anti-communist) attackers, but subsequently restaured.

Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: iii, iv
Reference	569
Inscription	2005 (29th Session)
Extensions	2008

Economy

Gjirokastër is principally a commercial center with some industries, notably the production of foodstuffs, leather, and textiles.

Landmarks

The city is built on the slope surrounding the citadel, located on a dominating plateau. Although the city's walls were built in the third century and the city itself was first mentioned in the 12th century, the majority of the existing buildings date from 17th and 18th centuries. Typical houses consist of a tall stone block structure which can be up to five stories high. There are external and internal staircases to surround the house and it is thought that such design stems from fortified country houses typical in southern Albania. The lower storey of the building contains a cistern and the stable. The upper storey is composed of a guest room and a family room containing a fireplace. The upper stories are to accommodate extended families and are connected by internal stairs.

Many houses in Gjirokastër have a distinctive local style that has earned the city the nickname "City of Stone", because most of the old houses have roofs covered with stones. The city, along with Berat, were among the few Albanian cities that were preserved in the 1960s and 1970s from modernizing building programs. Both cities gained the status of "museum town" and are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Gjirokastër Castle dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley. It is open to visitors and contains a military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the Communist resistance against German occupation, as well as a captured United States Air Force plane to commemorate the Communist regime's struggle against the imperialist powers. Additions were built during the 19th and 20th centuries by Ali Pasha of Tepelene and the Government of King Zog. Today it possesses five towers and houses a clock tower, a church, water fountains, horse stables, and many more amenities. The northern part of the castle was eventually turned into a prison by Zog's government and housed political prisoners during the communist regime.

Gjirokastër also features an old Ottoman bazaar which was originally built in the 17th century, but which had to be rebuilt in the 19th century after it burned down. There are more than 200 homes preserved as "cultural monuments" in Gjirokastër today. The Gjirokastër Mosque dominates the bazar and was built in 1757.

When the town was first proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List in 1988, ICOMOS experts were nonplussed by a number of modern constructions which detracted from the old town's appearance. The historic core of Gjirokastër was finally inscribed in 2005, 15 years after its original nomination.

Religion

The city has historically had 15 mosques, and in 1945 13 of them were functional. Out of the 13 mosques only the Gjirokastër Mosque has survived and the remaining 12 were destroyed or closed during the Cultural Revolution that the communist government applied in 1967.

The city is also home to an Eastern Orthodox diocese, part of the Orthodox Church of Albania.

Culture

17th century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, who visited the city in 1670 described the city in detail. During a Sunday Çelebi noticed the big noise of the ongoing vajtim, the typical Albanian lament of the dead performed by a professional: the traveller found the city so noisy during that day because of the vajtims, that he dubbed Gjirokastër the city of wailing.

The novel Chronicle in Stone of the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare tells the history of this city during the Italian and Greek occupation in World War I and II and expands on the customs of the people of Gjirokastër. The first female Albanian writer, Musine Kokalari, instead, wrote at the age of twenty-four, a 80-page collection of ten youthful prose tales in her native Gjirokastrian dialect: As my old mother tells me (Template:Lang-sq), Tirana, 1941. The book tells the day-by-day struggles of women of Gjirokastër, and the prevailing mores of the region.

Gjirokastër, home to both Albanian and Greek polyphonic singing, is also home to the National Folklore Festival (Template:Lang-sq) that has held every five years, starting from 1968 and most recently in 2009, in its 9th season. It is also where the Greek language newspaper Laiko Vima, is published. Founded in 1945, it was the only printed media allowed in the Greek language during the Socialist People's Republic of Albania.

Education

The city is home to the Eqerem Çabej University, which opened its doors in 1968. The university has recently been experiencing low enrollments and, as a result, during the 2008-2009 academic year, the departments of Physics, Mathematics, Biochemistry and Kindergarten Education did not function.

In 2006, the establishment of a Greek-language university in Gjirokastër was agreed upon after discussions between the Albanian and Greek governments . The program had an attendance of 35 students as of 2010, but was abruptly suspended when the University of Ioannina in Greece refused to provide teachers for the 2010 schoolyear and the Greek government and the Latsis foundation withdrew funding.

The first school in the city, a Greek language school, was erected in the city at 1663, sponsored by local merchants, functioned under the supervision of the local bishop. In 1821, when the Greek War of Independence broke out, it was destroyed, but it was reopenned 9 years later, in 1830. In 1727 a madrasah started to function in the city, and it worked uninterruptedly for 240 years until 1967, when it was closed due to the Cultural Revolution applied in communist Albania. In 1861-1862 a Greek language female school was founded, financially supported by the local Greek benefactor Christakis Zografos.

The first Albanian school of Gjirokastër was Drita School, which opened in 1908. Today Gjirokastër has seven grammar schools, two general high schools, and two professional high schools.

Sports

Football (soccer) is popular in Gjirokastër: the city hosts Luftëtari Gjirokastër, a club founded in 1929. The club has competed sometimes in international tournaments and played in the Albanian Superliga until 2006-2007. Currently the team plays in the Albanian First Division. The soccer matches are played in the Subi Bakiri Stadium, which can hold up to 8,500 spectators.

Demographics

The town only has around 43,000 inhabitants. Gjirokastër is home to an ethnic Greek community that was about 4000 in 1989, as well as of communities of Vlachs and Roma. Gjirokastër is considered the center of the Greek community in Albania.

Notable people

• Ali Alizoti Albanian politician in late 19th century
• Fejzi Alizoti interim Prime Minister of Albania in 1914
• Anastasios Argyrokastritis revolutionary of the Greek War of Independence.
• Kyriakoulis Argyrokastritis (-1828), revolutionary of the Greek War of Independence.
• Subi Bakiri, World War II hero.
• Elmaz Boçe, signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence and politician;
• Eqrem Çabej, linguist and ethnologist
• Rauf Fico, politician.
• Bashkim Fino, politician and former Prime Minister of Albania
• Gregory IV of Athens, Albanian scholar and Archbishop of Athens.
• Dimitrios Hatzipolyzoy, 19th century merchant
• Altin Haxhi, famous international soccer player, capped in the Albania national team
• Fatmir Haxhiu, painter
• Veli Harxhi, signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence and politician
• Enver Hoxha, Former first Secretary of the Albanian Party of Labor, and leader of Communist Albania.
• Javer Hurshiti, military commander in the Vlora War
• Feim Ibrahimi, composer
• Ismail Kadare, novelist, winner of the Man Booker International Prize in 2005 and Prince of Asturias Award in 2009.
• Rasim Kalakula, Albanian politician and former Tirana mayor
• Xhanfize Keko movie director
• Saim Kokona, cinematographer
• Eqrem Libohova, former Prime Minister of Albania
• Sabit Lulo, politician
• Bule Naipi, WWII People's Heroine of Albania
• Behxhet Nepravishta Albanian politician from the village of Nepravishta
• Omer Nishani, Head of State of Albania in 1944-1953 period
• Bahri Omari, Albanian politician
• Jani Papadhopulli, signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence and politician
• Xhevdet Picari, commander in the Vlora War
• Pertef Pogoni Albanian politician
• Baba Rexheb, Bektashi Sufi religious leader and saint
• Mehmet Tahsini, politician and professor
• Çerçiz Topulli 20th century Albanian nationalist and freedom fighter
• Bajo Topulli, brother of Çerçiz, Albanian nationalist and freedom fighter
• Takis Tsiakos (1909–1997), Greek poet.
• Alexandros Vasileiou (1760–1818), merchant and Greek scholar.
• Michael Vasileiou, brother of Alexandros, merchant.

See also

• List of cities in Albania
• History of Albania
• Geography of Albania
• Tourism in Albania
• Greeks in Albania
• Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
• Northern Epirus

References

1. ^ Instat of Albania (2009). "Population by towns" (in Albanian). Institute of Statistics of Albania. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
2. ^ Kiel, Machiel. Ottoman architecture in Albania, 1385-1912. Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. p. 138. ISBN 9789290633303. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
3. "FORTRESS OF GJIROKASTRA" (PDF). Ministry of Culture of Albania. 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
4. Guillemin, Jeanne (1980-01-01). Anthropological realities: readings in the science of culture. Transaction Publishers. p. 387. ISBN 9780878557837. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
5. ^ "The Greek minority in Albania in the aftermath of communism, James Pettifer, Defense Academy of the United Kingdom, pp.11-12 "The concentration of ethnic Greeks in and around centres of Hellenism such as Saranda and Gjirokastra..."
6. GCDO History part. "History of Gjirokaster" (in Albanian). Organizata për Ruajtjen dhe Zhvillimin e Gjirokastrës (GCDO). Retrieved 1 September 2010.
7. Sinani, Shaban; Kadare, Ismail; Courtois, Stéphane (2006). Le dossier Kadaré (in French). Paris: O. Jacob,. p. 37.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
8. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1993. p. 289. ISBN 0852295715.
9. Boardman, John (1982-08-05). The prehistory of the Balkans and the Middle East and the Aegean world, tenth to eighth centuries B.C. Cambridge University Press. p. 223. ISBN 9780521224963. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
10. Wilson, Wesley (1997). Countries & Cultures of the World: The Pacific, former Soviet Union, & Europe. Professional Press. p. 149. ISBN 1570873038. Retrieved 2010-06-13. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
11. ^ Gawrych, George Walter (2006). The crescent and the eagle: Ottoman rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913. I.B.Tauris. p. 23-64. ISBN 9781845112875. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
12. ^ Petersen, Andrew (1994). Dictionary of Islamic architecture. Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 0415060842. Retrieved 2010-06-13. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
13. Murati, Violeta. "Tourism with the Dictator". Standard (in Albanian). Retrieved 19 August 2010.
14. Petiffer, James (2001). "The Greek Minority in Albania - In the Aftermath of Communism" (PDF). Surrey, UK: Conflict Studies Research Centre. p. 13. ISBN 1-903584-35-3.
15. Lajmi (22 March 2010). "Tourism with the Communist Symbols". Gazeta Lajmi (in Albanian). Retrieved 19 August 2010.
16. ^ GCDO. "Regjimi komunist në Shqipëri" (in Albanian). Organizata për Ruajtjen dhe Zhvillimin e Gjirokastrës (GCDO). Retrieved 1 September 2010.
17. Elsie, Robert (2000). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology, and folk culture. New York University Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 0814722148. Retrieved 2010-06-09. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
18. Wilson, Katharina M. (March 1991). An Encyclopedia of continental women writers. Vol. 2. Taylor & Francis, Inc. p. 646. ISBN 0824085477.
19. Ahmedaja, Ardian; Haid, Gerlinde (2008). European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans. Vol. 1. Wien : Böhlau.
20. Top Channel (25 September 2009). "Gjirokaster, starton Festivali Folklorik Kombetar". Top Channel (in Albanian). Retrieved 31 August 2010.
21. Valeria Heuberger, Arnold Suppan, Elisabeth Vyslonzil (1996). Brennpunkt Osteuropa: Minderheiten im Kreuzfeuer des Nationalismus (in German). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. p. 71. ISBN 9783486561821.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Μπρεγκάση Αλέξανδρος. "Πάρτε πτυχίο… Αργυροκάστρου". Ηπειρωτικός Αγών. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
23. Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Albania, 2006. U.S. Department of State.
24. Epirus, 4000 years of Greek history and civilization. M. V. Sakellariou. Ekdotike Athenon, 1997. ISBN 9789602133712, p. 308
25. Albania's Captives. Pyrrhus J. Ruches. Argonaut, 1965. p. 33 "At a time of almost universal ignorance in Greece, in 1633, it opened the doors of its first Greek school. Sponsored by Argyrocastran merchants in Venice, it was under the supervision of Metropolitan Callistus of Dryinoupolis."
26. Epirus, 4000 years of Greek history and civilization. M. V. Sakellariou. Ekdotike Athenon, 1997. ISBN 9789602133712, p. 308
27. Worldstadiums. "Stadia in Albania". Retrieved 3 August 2010.
28. Human rights in post-communist Albania, Fred Abrahams, Human Rights Watch, p.119 "About 4,000 Greeks live in Gjirokastër out of a population of 30,000.
29. About Gjirokastra, gjirokastra.org
30. Albania's captives. P. J. Ruches. Argonaut, 1965, p.33.
31. Late Ottoman society: the intellectual legacy By Elisabeth Özdalga page 329
32. Late Ottoman society: the intellectual legacy By Elisabeth Özdalga page 316
33. Late Ottoman society: the intellectual legacy By Elisabeth Özdalga page 315
34. Late Ottoman society: the intellectual legacy By Elisabeth Özdalga page 322

Sources

• "Gjirokastër." Encyclopædia Britannica,2006
• "Gjirokastër or Gjinokastër." The Columbia Encyclopedia (2004)

External links

• Website of Gjirokastra
• Photo Gallery of Gjirokastër from Hotel Kalemi
• Photos of Gjirokastër
• Photo gallery by Andy Carvin
• Gjirokastra Online by Klodian Lula & SIFE UGJ

v t e World Heritage Sites in Albania
Butrint Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastër Gashi River and Rrajca part of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region
with Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine This is the extension of the site that has been inscribed in North Macedonia since 1979. The area around the town of Pogradec at the shores of Lake Ohrid was inhabited by the Illyrians in the 5th century BC, followed by the Romans and the Slavs. Traces of the Roman road Via Egnatia are evidence of an important passage route in the region. The ruins of the paleo-christian church of Lin together with its floor mosaics reveal the presence of Christianity. The historical centre of Pogradec represents an example of 19th to 20th century Albanian vernacular architecture.

v t e Subdivisions of Gjirokastër County
County seat: Gjirokastër
Municipality of Dropull	Dropull i Poshtëm Dropull i Sipërm Pogon
Municipality of Gjirokastër	Antigonë Cepo Gjirokastër Lazarat Lunxhëri Odrie Picar
Municipality of Këlcyrë	Ballaban Dishnicë Këlcyrë Sukë
Municipality of Libohovë	Libohovë Qendër Libohovë Zagori
Municipality of Memaliaj	Buz Krahës Luftinjë Memaliaj Memaliaj Fshat Qesarat
Municipality of Përmet	Çarçovë Frashër Përmet Petran Qendër Piskovë
Municipality of Tepelenë	Kurvelesh Lopës Qendër Tepelenë Tepelenë

v t e Cities and towns in Albania
Cities and towns in Albania share the status of a geographic unit which makes up a municipality.
(74)	Bajram Curri Bajzë Ballsh Berat Bilisht Bulqizë Burrel Cërrik Çorovodë Delvinë Divjakë Durrës Elbasan Ersekë Fier Fierzë Finiq Fushë-Arrëz Fushë-Krujë Gjirokastër Gramsh Himarë Kamëz Kavajë Këlcyrë Klos Konispol Koplik Korçë Krastë Krrabë Krujë Krumë Kuçovë Kukës Kurbnesh Laç Leskovik Lezhë Libohovë Librazhd Lushnjë Maliq Mamurras Manëz Memaliaj Milot Orikum Patos Peqin Përmet Peshkopi Pogradec Poliçan Prrenjas Pukë Reps Roskovec Rrëshen Rrogozhinë Rubik Sarandë Selenicë Shëngjin Shijak Shkodër Sukth Tepelenë Tiranë Tropojë Ulëz Ura Vajgurore Vau i Dejës Vlorë Vorë

v t e Gjirokastër
Landmarks	Gjirokastër Castle Artisan Handicrafts Centre Ethnographic Museum National Museum of Arms Seven Fountains and Hamam Skënduli House Gjirokastër Obelisk Çerçiz Topulli Square Zekate House Subi Bakiri Stadium Ali Pasha Bridge Old Bazaar
Religious monuments	Bazaar Mosque Dhuvjan Monastery Holy Transfiguration Church Meçite Mosque Tekke of Melan Teqe Mosque
Culture and sports	National Folklore Festival Iso-Polifonia Laiko Vima Luftëtari Gjirokastër
Education	Eqerem Çabej University Asim Zeneli Gymnasium

• Gjirokastër
• World Heritage Sites in Albania
• Ancient Greek cities
• Epirus
• Northern Epirus