Misplaced Pages

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34-806: Mërturi tribal territory is positioned on both banks of the River Drin , specifically in the District of Tropoja and the District of Puka . It borders the Nikaj to the north, the Krasniqi and the Thaçi to the east, the Shoshi to the west, the Berisha to the south and the Toplana to the southwest. Their main settlements are Raja (now Bregluma), Tetaj, Apripa, Mërtur, Brisë and Palç. The tribe

68-464: A distinction in the region of possessing a legendary boulder associated with Lekë Dukagjini, Gur' i Lek's , who supposedly stayed in that location. According to local tradition, it was to Shoshi that Lekë Dukagjini, came fleeing from Rashia. The patron Saint of the Shoshi is Saint Cyriacus (Shën Qurk), whose feast day is commemorated on 12 or 15 July. The religion of the tribe is entirely Catholic , in

102-505: A large group on Friday mornings and return on Monday. The Mërturi tribe were also in conflict with the Toplana , due to the Mërturi having expelled the Toplana from Straziç, and armed conflict commonly occurred between the two tribes. The three historical divisions of the Mërturi tribe were also somewhat independent of each other, with the southern Mërturi not even attending tribal gatherings. When

136-629: A single family. Drin (river) The Drin ( / d r iː n / ; Albanian : Drin [dɾin] or Drini [ˈdɾini] ; Macedonian : Дрим , romanized :  Drim [drim] ) is a river in Southeastern Europe with two major tributaries – the White Drin and the Black Drin and two distributaries – one discharging into the Adriatic Sea , in

170-673: A vast array of flora and fauna . In addition, it has been recognized as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in Europe. The Drin Delta is classified as an Important Bird Area of international importance by designation under the BirdLife International Convention. The name of the river is recorded in Ancient Greek as Drilon (Δρίλων) and in Latin as Drinus . The name

204-551: Is considered to be of Illyrian origin. The form Drin- has been evidenced by Pliny the Elder ( fl. 1st century AD) and is most likely primary. The ancient name Drinus has undergone sound changes reaching the current Albanian form Drin through the evolution of Albanian sound changes . The Macedonian name of the river is Дрим, Drim . Homonym rivers are Drino between southern Albania and northwestern Greece , and Drina between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia . After

238-525: Is on 7-8 September. Franciscans first visited the Mërturi region in 1636, and settled in the community in 1755. In 1835, they constructed the parish church of Mërturi in Raja (Breglumi) upon a cliff overlooking the right bank of the Drin river, and it was dedicated to Saint Veneranda . In the early 20th century, the Mërturi also consisted of around 100-200 Muslims. In certain cases, both Catholics and Muslims are present in

272-650: Is the longest river of Albania and its tributaries cross through both Kosovo and North Macedonia. Its northern tributary, the White Drin starts from the foothills of Žljeb , at White Drin Waterfall in west Kosovo, and flows generally south, whereas its southern tributary, the Black Drin originates from Ohrid lake in the town of Struga , North Macedonia and flows north. Both tributaries' confluence occurs near Kukës in northeast Albania and Drin then flows westwards through

306-635: The Albanian Alps and Dukagjin Highlands , where three successive dams were erected between 1960s and late 1980s, forming 3 large artificial lakes. The Drin then passes Vau i Dejës and drains into the Adriatic Sea through its two distributaries in Buna river and west of Lezhë . Located in the Balkan Peninsula at the crossroad of Europe and Asia , the river basin's varied climate and topography have shaped

340-597: The Enchele . The tribal territory of the Taulantii and of the Labeatae was most likely located near the river. Shoshi (tribe) 42°12′N 19°47′E  /  42.200°N 19.783°E  / 42.200; 19.783 Shoshi is a historical Albanian tribe ( fis ) and region of northern Albania in the lower Shala valley . Shoshi is first recorded as a small settlement in 1485. The fis itself traces its origin to

374-502: The Gulf of Drin and the other into the Bojana River . Its catchment area extends across Albania , Kosovo , Serbia , Greece , Montenegro and North Macedonia and is home to more than 1.6 million people. The river and its tributaries form the Gulf of Drin , an ocean basin that encompasses the northern Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast . At 285 kilometres (177 miles) long, the Drin

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408-669: The Gulf of Drin into the Adriatic Sea southwest of Lezhë , forming the Mouth of Drin. The other empties into the Bojana River near the Rozafa Castle . The Black Drin flows out from the Lake Ohrid near Struga through western North Macedonia and then eastern Albania. The White Drin originates from the Žljeb mountain, north of the town of Peja in the Metohija region of Kosovo , and flows from there through to Albania. The basin encompasses

442-528: The Tanzimat Reforms in the Highlands of Gjakova. Under the leadership of Mic Sokoli and Binak Alia , the tribes of Krasniqi , Gashi , Bytyçi and Nikaj alongside the Mërturi organized a resistance near Bujan . The rebels were reinforced by the forces of Shala , led by Mark Lula. After heavy fighting, they managed to defeat the Ottoman force and expel them from the highlands. Aside from being related to

476-555: The Berisha separated into two different tribes in 1520, and the Mërturi moved northwards into the Highlands of Gjakova , arriving firstly in an infertile and rocky region known as Straziç. Eventually, the Mërturi managed to expel the Toplana tribe from the more fertile areas and created a settlement in the area in 1556 at the base of Mount Korja. In 1590, they settled in Brisë and some areas south of

510-737: The Berisha tribe, the Mërturi are on good terms with the Nikaj tribe, so much so that they are generally grouped together as the Nikaj-Mërturi. The Nikaj-Mërturi were in conflict with the Shala and Shoshi tribes of the Dukagjin Highlands , and they were also known for having skirmishes and armed conflict with the Krasniqi tribe of the Gjakova Highlands . The Nikaj-Mërturi would have to pass through Krasniqi tribal territory in order to go to their market town, Gjakova , and so they would set off as

544-556: The Black Drin. The artificial Lake Fierza created by the dam at Fierzë is the largest artificial lake in Albania with its surface of 73 km . The second largest artificial lake is also built on this river. Vau i Dejës lake has an area of 25 km . Construction of the Fierza power station caused some controversy in the 1980s. Without reaching any agreement, the Albanian government ordered

578-559: The Drin River, and eventually separated into two groups 1650, settling on the southern and north-western slopes of Mount Korja. By the early 20th century, the Mërturi were separated into three parts; the southern Mërturi, the north-western Mërturi, and the north-eastern Mërturi. The southern Mërturi, also known as Mërturi i Gurit ('Mërturi of the rocks' in Albanian), were situated south of the Drin on

612-534: The Shoshi tribe made a besa (pledge) to support the document and to stop blood feuding with other tribes until November 6. During the Albanian revolt of 1911 in negotiations with the Ottomans an amnesty was reached for the rebels with a pledge by the government that education in Albanian would be allowed and one to two primary schools in the nahiye of Shoshi and pay the wages of teachers allocated to them. Shoshi had

646-522: The Toplana made Besa - or a sacred pledge - with the north-western Mërturi (Salca), the Besa did not apply to the southern Mërturi, or Mërturi i Gurit , and so the southern Mërturi were required to make their own ceasefires with the Toplana. The Mërturi are a predominantly Catholic tribe, with the tribe's patron saint being the Virgin Mary , or Zoja e Mërturit ('Our Lady of Mërturi' in Albanian). Her feast day

680-457: The area maintains that the ancestor of Shoshi was a Mark Diti , son of Dit Murri and grandson of a Murr Dedi . Mark Diti's brother, Zog Diti , was the progenitor of the Shala tribe , and his other brother, Mir Diti , was considered to be the ancestor of the Mirdita tribe. In the best known tradition, these three brothers came to the area from Pashtrik of Gjakova mountain in western Kosovo, on

714-420: The bajrak consisted of 213 homes. Due to being part of the Gjakova Highlands , the tribe was subject to the kaymakam of Gjakova. In 1918, an Austro-Hungarian survey recorded the Mërturi tribe as having 354 households with a total of 2,211 inhabitants. The ancestral father of the Mërturi tribe was called Lek Poga, the son of Pog Murri and therefore the grandson of Murr Deti/Murr Dedi. Lek Poga's brother, Kol Poga,

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748-980: The brothers Gjol and Pep Suma. The community of their descendants gradually grew to control part of the Dukagjin highlands . In the 19th century Shoshi also became a bajrak . The Shoshi region stands in north-western Albania , in Shkodër County . It stands about 52 km away from the city of Shkodra . In terms of regional boundaries, Shoshi stands south of Shala , north of Shllaku , west of Toplana and Dushmani and east of Kiri . The historical settlements of Shoshi are: Ndreaj, Brashtë, Pepsumaj, Pepaj, Shosh-Nicaj, Gjolaj, Ndregjinaj, Cilkok, Gjoshaj, Palaj, Pepsumaj, Gjocaj, Pylaj, Gurri i Lekës, Pilotaj, Shosh-Gurrë, Dardhë, Balzë, Mollë. Gjocaj (Autumn of 2000), Mollë (December 2001), Pepsumaj (December 2004), Brashtë (December 2005), Pylotaj (October 2006), Gjoshaj (November 2008), Ndregjinaj (December 2008) are uninhabited (in brackets

782-519: The city itself. Edith Durham noted that Gjakova was founded by members of the Mërturi tribe in the 15th-16th centuries, specifically by the families of two men descended from Bitush Mërturi - Vula and Mërtur. The descendants of the Vula family were still present during the time of her visit to Albania in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1862, the Ottomans sent Maxharr Pasha with 12 divisions to implement

816-475: The confluence of its two tributaries, near the town of Kukës in the northeast Albania , Drin flows west, passing through the Albanian Alps and Fierzë then upon reaching the Dukagjini highlands , flowing then to the south through Apripë e Gurit, Toplanë, Dushman, Koman , Vjerdhë Mazrrek, Rragam, and Pale Lalej. At Vau i Dejës , it enters the low Shkodër Field and splits into two distributaries. One empties into

850-449: The date of final emigration from these settlements). These form the Shosh administrative unit of the municipality of Shkodër . Until 2015, Shosh was a municipality ( bashki ) in itself. The village of Prekal (linked with the medieval Prekali tribe), about 9 km to the south-west of it is sometimes grouped under Shoshi because most of its families come from Shoshi. An oral tradition in

884-547: The defter of the Sanjak of Scutari in 1485 as a small village in the nahiye of Petrishpan-ili with four households headed by Gjon, son of Duka . In the village, one of the households was that of the Catholic cleric Dom Nikolla Bizi . Catholic bishop Shtjefën Gaspari passed through the region in 1671. In his account, Sosi had 30 households and 250 inhabitants. In 1786, Shoshi had not yet been fully established as tribal territory as

918-506: The largest hydroelectric power station group in the Balkans regarding the installed capacity and reservoir capacity. The Drin is extremely important for the Albanian economy, especially for its electrical production. The three largest hydropower facilities produce 70.6% of Albania's electricity (approx. 1400MW of total installed capacity). North Macedonia has built two hydropower plants – Globocica (42 MW) and Spilje Hydro Power Plant (84 MW) on

952-596: The modern Albania-Kosovo border. Their settlement then began from south to north, from Mirdita northwards to the lower and upper Shala valley. The historical figures who are recorded as the forefathers of all Shoshi today are the brothers Gjol and Pep Suma. They are linked to oral tradition as descendants of Mark Diti. They had the surname Suma as they grew up in the Suma from where their mother originated. An alternative theory maintains that they were actually patrilineally descended from Suma. Shoshi appears in historical record in

986-422: The reservoir to be filled with water, which flooded some border areas of Kosovo , then part of Yugoslavia . The Yugoslav government protested, but no solution was agreed on. Thus, today, Lake Fierza is shared by Albania and Kosovo. The ancient name of the river was Drilon . The valley of the river was inhabited by several Illyrian peoples . It was probably dominated at some point and to some extent by

1020-551: The slopes of Mount Shllum. The north-western Mërturi were situated on the slopes of Mount Ershell, and the north-eastern Mërturi (the original Mërturi) were situated north of the Drin on the slopes of Mount Korja. Members of the Mërturi tribe have migrated in particular to the Dushkaja region in Kosovo , and one of the major Mërturi families in Gjakova is said to be descended from the founders of

1054-532: The transboundary subbasins of Lake Shkodër (largest lake in Southern Europe), Lake Ohrid (one of the most ancient lakes in the World), Lake Prespa and Small Prespa Lake and also the tributaries, namely Black Drin , White Drin and Bojana River . All these subbasins and tributaries are home to numerous species of mammals , vascular plants , insects , amphibians , fish and birds . Drin river contains

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1088-516: The village of Shosh, Brashta and also Prekali, appear as distinct settlements that are grouped together, but not part of the same territory. The three villages at that time had 189 households with 1013 inhabitants. Shoshi remained one of the exclusively Catholic tribes throughout the Ottoman period After the Young Turk Revolution (1908) and subsequent restoration of the Ottoman constitution ,

1122-487: Was first recorded as the 'Marturi' in an ecclesiastical report in 1629. It was placed under the dominion of the Zotni of Pukë ( zotni meaning 'lord' in Albanian) in around 1630. In 1881, the tribe consisted of 13 villages with 242 homes and 3,500 inhabitants, 700 of which were men fit for arms. The tribe consisted of a bajraktar (chieftain) since at least 1877, and therefore a single bajrak (military administrative unit). In 1892,

1156-613: Was the ancestral father of the Berisha tribe. According to folklore, Lek Poga would have five sons who would settle in parts of the Mërturi tribal territory and whose descendants would establish their own settlements - Bib Leka in Raja, Mulaj and Shëngjergj; Ndre Leka in Palç, Apripa and Mërturi i Gurit; Mar Leka in Salca and Brisë ; Tet Leka in Tetaj, Bëtosha and Markaj; and Pec Leka in Bëtosha. The Mërturi and

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