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Kosova > Prizren

Prizren is a town with around 70,000 inhabitants, and it is a true open air museum, one of the most beautiful towns of Kosova. It is situated on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains and on the banks of the river Bistrica. Thanks to its preserved architecture, this town with houses built under the Kalaja is a special curiosity. It is rich in dwelling quarters and houses with balconies facing gardens full of foliage. Numerous narrow, winding streets cut the whole town up, giving the town an oriental physiognomy. The craftsmen of Prizren are well known for their beautiful gold and silver articles, embroidery, the Prizren cloth, knives, and other folk handcrafts, trades which Prizrenians have preserved throughout the centuries. Since the end of World War II, Prizren has developed into a modern town with food processing, textile, pharmaceutical, and metal processing industry, at the same time efforts have been made to preserve its ancient architecture.

A view of Prizren. The Sharr Mountains are in the background, while the Bistrica River flows through the town.

Prizren was established at a convenient locality as an important trading town, through which passed old roads towards the Adriatic coast and the interior of the Balkan peninsula.

Graves and artifacts of Illyrian Dardans were found in Prizren's vincity, which shows that the area of Prizren has been inhabited since ancient times. It was for a while the center of the Serbian Empire. During the Byzantine rule, Prizren was known as Prizdrian. The Ottomans occupied Prizren on June 21, 1455, and that is when the oriental urban development of Prizren began. From all the cities of Kosova, Prizren has best preserved the architectural physiognomy of the past.

 

 

 

A view of Prizren from the Kalaja

Overlooking the town, on a hill that dominates over the Prizren plateau, is the Kalaja (Fortress) of Prizren (Kalaja e Prizrenit). The fort dates from the 11th century and was built to protect Prizren from attacks. Kalaja is a true labyrinth of underground tunnels. The Ottoman Turks occupied it in 1455 and kept soldiers in it for centuries. Kalaja today fits into the old town setup.

The Bajrakli Gazi Mehmet Pasha's mosque is the oldest monument of Islamic art in Prizren. The inscription above the entrance states it was built in 1561. This mosque has a square base and numerous windows, while the main veneration niche (mihrab) and the pulpit (mimber) are made of marble.

A hexagonal mausoleum (medresa) has been built in the courtyard of the mosque which Mehmet Pasha earmarked as his grave.

Mehmet Pasha's Turkish bath in Prizren

Mehmet Pasha also built a Turkish bath in the town, which is built of cut stone and large bricks, in extremely harmonious proportions. The interior is divided into two parts: the baths for men and the baths for women.

Sinan Pasha's mosque in Prizren

Sinan Pasha's mosque, according to inscriptions, was built in 1615. Its architecture demonstrates strength, compactness, gracefulness, and elegance. In regards to the type of architecture, it represents a rarity in Islamic art. Thanks to its position, elegance, massive properties and the graceful minaret, it dominates over the surrounding part of the town. The enormous dome is fitted harmoniously into the square mass of the building. The interior of the mosque is decorated with geometrical designs, still life, and draperies, while the other parts of the walls are painted in strong light colors.

One of the oldest standing structures in Prizren is the Sh‘nm‘ria Levishka Church (shown on the picture). Built originally as a Roman Catholic Church and one of the primary churches of the Catholics of the region, Levishka was later converted to an Eastern Orthodox Church.

Left: the house in which the Prizren League was organized. Right: the Prizren League Museum with the statues of Sami Frash‘ri and Ymer Prizreni

In the center of the town, on the bank of river Bistrica, stands the house in which in 1878, the League of Prizren was organized. It was an assembly of representatives of all Albanian inhabited regions that demanded autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. This event was the starting point of the Albanian liberation movement which eventually led to the declaration of the independence of Albania in 1912. The house archives many of the documents relating to the League of Prizren.

Kosova > Peja


At the foot of the gigantic Damned Mountains (Bjeshk‘t e Nemuna), on the river Bistrica (pronounced: Bis-tritza) and the entrance of the Rugova Gorge (Gryka e Rugov‘s), lies Peja (pronounced: Pey-ah), a town with around 85,000 inhabitants, the main economic and cultural center of northern Dukagjin (pronounced: Duke-ah-jin) region of Kosova. Because of its exceptional position in regards to communication, the natural attractiveness of the mountainous hinderland and richness in cultural and historical monuments, Peja is one of the best known tourist resorts of the region.

Hotel Korzo and a view of the surroundings of the town

During the medieval Serbian state, Peja was a cultural center because of the Patriarchate of Peja, which is in the immediate vincity of the town. With the arrival of the Ottoman Turks, Peja developed under the influence of oriental architecture, becoming a casbah with cobble stone streets, numerous brooks in courtyards, small shops, and mosques.

The Patriarchate of Peja, near the town.

The urban architecture of the Turkish period is interesting, with a large number of preserved houses of Albanian feudal lords, among which is the famous Tahir Bey's Palace, and Jashar Pasha's House. The Sheremet Tower, although built during the Turkish rule, in fact is a true type of an Albanian Dukagjin tower, a stone house with small windows resembling rifle loopholes. The ceilings of these types of houses are tall, usually in carved wood, with niches. The houses are surrounded by tall walls and have well kept gardens.

In the center of the town is the old ‚arshia (shopping street), with shops of various craftsmen (coppersmiths, goldsmiths, slipper makers, leather tanners, saddle makers, tailors, etc.). The attractive Bajrakli mosque built in the 15th century ranks among the older structures of Islamic architecture.

Kosova > Gjakova

Gjakova (pronounced: Jah-ko-vah') is situated in western Kosova. It is a town with around 60,000 people, situated on the banks of the river Erenik, in the proximity of the Mal‘sia e Gjakov‘s (Mountainside of Gjakova), the largest part of which is in the territory of Albania.

A view of Gjakova

Gjakova is a Kosova town with a somewhat combined oriental and modern appearance. The old shopping center situated near the old mosque and the Grand Dervish Ritual Hall (Tekia e Madhe) is full of quaint old shops and crafts workshops.

Traditional architecture of Gjakova - old and new

The center of the town has been rebuilt with a new hotel, the Pashtrik Hotel, and several shopping centers and the large "Agimi" department store.

A busy market day at the ‚arshia

A feudal house in Gjakova

The trade center

Kosova > Prishtina

Prishtina is the capital and the largest city of Kosova, it and its suburbs have a total population of over 300,000. It is the administrative, economical, and cultural center of Kosova.

Prishtina's Main Street

The area of Prishtina has a long history, in its vincity archaeological discoveries have been found which date back to the early neolithical ages.

The remains of Ulpiana, near Prishtina

Southeast of the city, the remains of Ulpiana were discovered, the center of the Illyrian province of Dardania. Ulpiana was founded in the 2nd century during the rule of Emperor Trajan, and renewed in the 6th century during the rule of Justinian, after whom it was called Iustinana Secunda. According to inscriptions on the monuments from Ulpiana, it is apparent that it was one of the most beautiful cities of the Illyrian Dardania, as it was often reffered to as Ulpiana Splendissima. A number of articles were discovered here such as coins, ceramics, weapons, jewlery, all of which are exhibited at the Museum of History of Kosova in Prishtina.

After the incursions of Slavs and barbarians during the early Middle Ages, the destroyed town of Ulpiana was abandoned, creating the locality for the new town of Prishtina.

During Serbian rule, Prishtina was a major political center. Near Prishtina is the site of the Battle of Kosova (1389), in which a Balkan alliance, led by Serbian Prince Lazar, fought against the Ottoman army. The battle marked the begining of Ottoman rule of the region.

The Gra�anica Monastery (14th century) near Prishtina

Prishtina developed in the 14th and 15th century as a mining and trading center of the Novob‘rd‘ and the Mount Kopaonik (Albanik) mining industry. During the Ottoman rule in the region, it was an important administrative center, seat of the ruling Pasha, and for a while it was the center of the Kosova Vilayet.

During the Austrian-Turkish Wars of the 17th century, the Albanian population of Prishtina under the command of Pjet‘r Bogdani fought aside the Austrian army against the Ottoman Turks. During Piccollominni's campaign and later Austrian campaigns, Prishtina suffered considerably, as was the case during the 1859 and 1863 fires.

Faith Mosque (15th century)

In the 19th century, according to the writings of A. Bue (1838), Prishtina had 7000-9000 inhabitants, and Hilferding (1857) wrote that the town had 1500 houses, one fifth of which were Serbian. In the middle of the 19th century, Prishtina was famous for its fairs (panair) of various crafts and trade articles, especially goat hide and hair articles, coppersmiths, pottery, embroidery, etc.

A rendering of the building of the Academy of Arts and Sciences (18th century), an example of Prishtina's traditional architecture

During World War II, Prishtina (with around 16,000 inhabitants), was included in the zone occupied by Italians, and was the center of the prefecture with the same name.

Historical monuments near Prishtina include the Gra�anica Monastery, built in 1321 on the basis of an older church, and the Mausoleum of Sultan Murat, reconstructed in 1850 by Hurshid Pasha.

A view of Prishtina

Prishtina became the capital of Kosova after World War II. Up to this point, Prishtina had retained its appearance as an oriental town, but the intensive modernization of Prishtina in socialist Yugoslavia had managed to completely change the structure and look of the city, and had even destroyed the old ‚arshia (shopping street) and 18th and 19th century buildings to replace them with new ones.
The old narrow cobble stone streets and low mostly mud made houses were replaced by new modern complexes and wide streets, and attractive public buildings: the Assembly Building, Radio Station, the Television of Prishtina, Press and Publishing Hall, the University Library, several banking centers, etc.

The Grand Hotel in Prishtina

After Serbia revoked Kosova's autonomous status in 1989, virtually all public buildings and companies of Prishtina were taken over by Serbian appointed managements, which dismissed virtually all Albanian employees.

Prishtina is the most significant high education center of Kosova. The University of Prishtina, founded in 1970, is located here with its 13 faculties (colleges). Prishtina is also home of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Kosova which gathers Kosova's most prominent intellectuals, the Institute of Albanology, and the Institute of History. Unfortunately, after the Belgrade authorities revoked Kosova's autonomy and took over its administration, in an attempt to close down these institutions deprived them of their buildings and offices, forcing them to find alternative working space around the city. In addition, the Serb police frequently harrass members, professors, students and employees of these institutions.

The most popular localities of Prishtina are Kurrizi (The Spine) in the Dardania quarter and Qafa (The Neck) near the center of the city, which feature many shops, cafés and hangouts, opened in tunnels built within residential buildings.

KOSOVA