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North Albania

North albania

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Page 1: North albania

North Albania

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• Albania (Republika and Shqipërisë), also known as• Shqipëria, which means literally ‘Country of the

Eagles’, lies in southeast Europe in the south-west of the Balkan peninsular.

• It shares a border with Montenegro to the north (for 287 km), with Kosovo and Macedonia to the north-east (151 km), with Greece (for 282 km) to the south and south-east, while to the west it looks onto the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, with a coastline extending for 472 km.

• Albania covers a total area of 28,748 km2, 1,350 of which are internal waters. By way of comparison, it is a little larger than Sicily (Italy) and slightly smaller than Maryland (USA).

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• About two-thirds of Albania’s geography is either hilly or mountainous. These elevations offer myriad outdoor recreation possibilities, including everything from paddling sports to paragliding. These areas also host a variety of tourism ventures, including ecoand agritourism. There is a renewed interest in alpine climbing and exploration, as well, with the 2,018 m Çika Ridge being a highly desirable climb. Various destinations in the Northern Alps, with elevations as high as 2,700 m, beckon to the climber, as well.

• Specifically the towns of Vermosh, Theth, Razëm, Bogë, and Valbona, can all serve as starting points for an expedition.

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TropojëMalësi e MadheKukësPukëShkodërDibërMatKrujë

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• Tropojë (Definite Albanian form: Tropoja) is a municipality in the Tropojë District,Kukws country, northern Albania, near the border with Kosovo.It is home to the non-navigable Valbonë River. Tropojë has many agricultural products and is famous for its chestnuts, apples, nuts, grapes, and especially blueberries . Large reserves of platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, and osmium have been discovered in Tropojë. Albanian, Italian, and Chinese engineers, working for Albanian Minerals and Bytyci ShPK in Tropojë, suggest the area may have more than 500 million tons of chrome ore and more than two billion tons of olivine in which platinum is 5-7 grams present per ton. This gigantic body of ore is one of the largest in the world.

Tropojë

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• Tropojë is also famous for being mentioned in the 2008 film Taken, starring Liam Neeson, in which members of the Albanian Mafia come from the town. The municipality is also mentioned in the film's sequel Taken 2.

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Malësi e Madhe

• The Malësi e Madhe District (Albanian: Rrethi i Malësisë së Madhe) is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Shkodër County. It has a population of 36,091 (2010 estimate), and an area of 555 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Koplik.

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Kukës

• The County of Kukës (Albanian: Qarku i Kukësit) is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Has, Kukës and Tropojë and its capital is Kukës. To the east, Kukës borders Kosovo, while in the extreme northwest it borders Montenegro and in the extreme southeast it borders the Republic of Macedonia.

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Pukë

• The District of Pukë (Albanian: Rrethi i Pukës) is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Shkodër County. It has a population of 24,323 (2010 estimate), and an area of 1,034 km².

• It is located in the north of the country and its capital is Pukë.

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Shkodër• Shkodër (Definite Albanian form: Shkodra; historically also known

as Scutari), is a city in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic places in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre.

• During many different epochs it has retained its status as a major city in the Western Balkans, due to its geostrategic positioning close to the Adriatic and the Italian ports, but also with land-routes to other important cities and towns in neighbouring regions.

• Its importance is heightened by the Lake of Shkodër to the west of the city—the largest in the Western Balkans—that straddles Albania and neighbouring Montenegro. The population of Shkodër is 95,907, while Shkodër County has a population of 217,375.

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• Shkodër is an important educational and industrial center. The city produces various mechanical and electrical components, along with textile and food products. Luigj Gurakuqi University of Shkodër is one of the more prestigious learning centers of Albania. The public library of the city contains more than 250,000 books. Several other cultural institutions exist, such as the Cultural Center, the Marubi Photo Archives, the Artists and Writers Association, the "Migjeni" Theater (named after Millosh Gjergj Nikolla), the Gallery of Arts, and the Museum of History. Shkodër is the center of Albanian Catholicism and the most prominent city of Roman Catholics in Albania. Historic cultural architecture includes the Castle of Shkodër, the Turkish Bath, and the Lead Mosque. The Castle of Shkodër became famous during the First Balkan War when it was protected by the Turkish general Hasan Riza Pasha and Esad Pasha. Many festivals take place on an annual basis such as Carnival, Children Festival, Lake Day, and Shkodra Jazz Fest.

• Shkodër is also famous for its Islamic scholarship. The site of the only institution in Albania which provides high-level education in Arabic and Islamic Studies, having produced well-known Muslim personalities as Shaykh Nasirudin Albani.

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Dibër

• The District of Dibër (Albanian: Rrethi i Dibrës) is one of the 36 districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It has a total population of 62,825, and an area of 1088 km². It is in the northeast of the country, and its capital is Peshkopi.

• The district takes its name from the town Debar, in Macedonia.

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• Dibër has been the battlefield of Turkish and other Balkan wars for centuries. Its river Drini i Zi (Black Drin) was colored in red blood several times which gives the name to the river to pay tribute to those who have fallen during the wars for centuries. Diber contains 7 lakes of Lurë. Dibër is the place where the Kastriot village lays, which is close to another village called Sinjë (Sinë) where the George Kastrioti Skanderbeg was born and returned after the Turkish escaping to Diber.

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Mat

• The District of Mat (Albanian: Rrethi i Matit) is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It is named after theMat River, that flows through the district. It has a population of 48,803 (2010 estimate), and an area of 1,029 km². Its capital is Burrel.

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Krujë• Krujë (Definite Albanian form: Kruja) is a town in north

central Albania and the capital of the municipality and the Krujë District. It has a population of about 15,900. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km from the capital of Albania, Tirana.

• Inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of the Albani, in 1190 Krujë became the capital of the first autonomous Albanian state in the middle ages, the Principality of Arbër. Later it was the capital of the Kingdom of Albania, while in the early 15th century Krujë was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, but then recaptured in 1443 by Skanderbeg, leader of the League of Lezhë, who successfully defended it against three Ottoman sieges until his death in 1468.

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• The Ottomans took control of the town after the fourth siege in 1478, and incorporated it in their territories. A 1906 local revolt against the Ottoman Empire was followed by the 1912 Declaration of Independence of Albania. In the mid-1910s Krujë was one of the battlefields of the conflict between the short-lived Republic of Central Albania, founded by Essad Toptani, and the Principality of Albania. In 1914 Toptani managed to seize the town but during the same year it was reincorporated by Prênk Bibë Doda in the Principality of Albania. During WWII was the center of the activities of resistance leader Abaz Kupi.

• The museums of Krujë include the Skanderbeg museum, located in the environs of the Krujë castle, and the national ethnographic museum.

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Photos of other well known North Albanian places!

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Kanun

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• The Kanun is a set of traditional Albanian laws. The Kanun was primarily oral and only in the 20th century was it published in writing. There is only one Kanun since the ancient times commonly referred to the "Kanun of Leke" from which six later variations eventually evolved, categorized according to the area, the personality and their time of origin: Kanun i vjetër (English: Old Kanun), Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit (English: The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini), Kanuni i Çermenikës (English: The Kanun of Çermenikë), Kanuni i Papa Zhulit(English: The Kanun of Papa Zhuli), Kanuni i Labërisë (English: The Kanun of Labëria) and Kanuni i Skenderbeut (English: Kanun of Skanderbeg)also known as Kanuni i Arbërisë (English: Kanun of Arbëria).

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• The Kanun of Skanderbeg is the closest in similarity with the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, and the latter is usually the most known and is also regarded as a synonym of the wordkanun. The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini was developed by Lekë Dukagjini, who codified the existing customary laws. It has been used mostly in northern and central Albania and surrounding areas formerly in Yugoslavia where this is a large ethnic Albanian population; Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia. It was first codified in the 15th century but the use of it has been outspread much earlier in time. It was used under that form until the 20th century, and revived recently after the fall of the communist regime in the early 1990s.

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The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini is composed of 12 books and 1,262 articles. The books and their subdivisions are

the following:• Church• Family• Marriage• House, Livestock and Property• Work• Transfer of Property• Spoken Word• Honor• Damages• Law Regarding Crimes• The kanun of the elderly• Exemptions and Exceptions

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Individual people have preserved their antique culinary traditions and at the sametime have enriched them with the culinary experience of others. The geographicaland historical proximity have made possible reciprocal influences in the economy,culture and especially in the way of life. Notwithstanding, it appears that the influencesof the culinary art are more felt due to the fact that these peoples produce to a greatextent the same food articles

Albanian Cuisine

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• The traditional Albanian cuisine, costumes, culture and the hospitality that characterize Albanians originate from ancient times.

• Albania is one of the most ancient countries in Europe,lying on the border between East and West. As a result,one finds traces of two cultures and culinary arts: orientaland occidental

• The favorable climate allows for the cultivation of nearlyall kinds of agricultural produce. There is a rich variety ofvegetables and fruits, which are consumed raw, in dishes,with meat or conserved.

• The most preferred vegetables are: tomato, pepper, eggplant, ladyfinger, potato, cabbage, onion, garlic, greenbeans, beans, cucumber, etc. They are most frequentlyfried, boiled in slow fire, or baked.

• Among the leguminous plants, the most popular and traditional is the bean. Cooked in earthenware, beans are especially delicious. They are either used in dishes on their own or with other vegetables or meat. In some regions, beans are also used in pies. Peas and green beans also make delicious dishes.

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NORTHEN REGION CUISINE• Maize is widely cultivated in this region, making

maize flour not only the key ingredient in producing bread but also in cooking an assortment of traditional dishes both salty and sweet.

• The cold climate of the region enables each family to create food supplies that last for a long time like pastërma (dried meat), stuffed tripe (zorrë e mbushur), mash (trahana), pasta (jufka) etc., used during the winter season. These are homemade in every household in the north.

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• Among the most characteristic and often used vegetables in the kitchen are: bean, potato, cabbage, which are ingredients in different delicious dishes. Onion and garlic are ever present. They are tied in strings and dried, a tradition of the northern regions, so that they are available throughout the year.

• Traditional dishes of this region include: baked rice (birjan of Peshkopia, fritter balls (petulla) of Luma, pasta (jufka), casserole (tavë) of Gora, paçe of Kosova, suxhuk of Gjakova, maize mash (harapash mëmëlikë), chicken wheat rissotto (qeshqek me pulë), garlic mash (çervish), maize flour cookies (gurabie me miell misri), milk pie with maize flour (qumështor me miell misri), haxhimakulle etc..

• The cuisine of Shkodra occupies a special place, with popular dishes taste makes it a fixture in family celebrations.

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• Talking about the region, one cannot help but mention the

• reservation of Kunë-Vain in the district of Lezha and the

• surrounding lagoons rich in seafowl and wild animals, like:

• duck, goose, woodcock, pheasant, wild hare, etc.. Hunted

• for their delicious meat, these birds and animals are in the

• menus of local restaurants.

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• The climate, well suited for growing the characteristic plum of Dibra, apple, cherry (vishnja), nut, walnut, etc., has spurred the tradition of making raki from plums (shliva) and preserves. A special fruit of this region is the pomegranate of Shkodra, big,sweet and juicy.

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Costumes

• The traditional gala costume is particularly beautiful; it is worn by women on particular occasions like weddings or festivities such as Easter or the local patron saint. The costumes are authentic works of art that replicate ancient symbols in the embroidery of stars or branches bearing blossoms.

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Weddings!• In Albania marriage is still a very powerful institution, though in

recent years there has been an increase in the number of couples choosing to cohabit before deciding whether to marry later.

• The years of transition that Albania is experiencing have also affected the age of marriage. Although an increase in the average age of marriage generally leads to more stable families, the number of divorces per 100 marriages has increased from 9.6 in 2001 to 14.2 in 2004. This, however,can also be explained by the improvement in the status of women, since most divorces are requested by women. Since 1990 the average age of couples getting married has risen steadily and it has now reached European levels.

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Folk Music!

• Folk music plays an important part in traditional Albanian culture, and is very much alive today. Albanian music has very ancient origins and has only been handed down from

• father to son orally. The most important musical genre is the kenge te lehta (soft songs). The traditional songs (called popullore) are usually sung by the old people, with the famous hat of Albanian tradition. The vallore songs which are sung and played during elaborate wedding ceremonies are very

• important.

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• The wealth of Albanian folk musical is reflected in the different musical forms, and include those for solo voice and for several voices. The River Shkumbin that separates the Geg (north) and Tosk (south) ethnic groups also acts as a natural boundary between two types of folk music. To the north of this river we find the mono-phonic music accompanied by specific musical instruments of this area such as the single chord lute and the two-chorded cifteli.

• Besides this type of music, which has developed in the• villages and rural areas sine the end of the XIX century there

is also the traditional folk music of the towns that uses important instruments such as the clarinet, violin and accordion, as well as local instruments such as the lute, flute and tambourine.

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Famous Albanians from the North

• Gjergj Fishta• Ndre Mjeda• Mother Teresa• Skanderbeg• Gjon Kastrionti• Hamza Kastrioti• Sali Berisha• Millosh Gjergj Nikolla• Azem Galica and Shota Galica• Kolë Idromeno

Avni MulaInva MulaJames BiberiEnver PetrovciTinka KurtiTonin HarapiCesk ZadejaGjon BuzukuMarin BarletiMartin CamajFadil BerishaAngela Martini

Lorik CanaHamdi SalihiKreshnik QatoElis GuriPope Clement XI Giovanni Francesco Albani Ali Pasha of Gucia