Robert Elsie

The present volume endeavours to throw light on a corner of Europe which is often ignored by historians. The book is not a history of early Albania, but rather a collection of important historical documents and texts from the 11th to the 17th centuries, which will add to an understanding of the early history and development of Albania and its people. The vast majority of these works has never been published in English before. The first section of the book focusses on the emergence of the Albanians as a people and provides the reader with the earliest documents which make reference to them. The second, and main section of the volume provides a broader view of history and geography and, in particular, of life in Albania from the 12th to the 17th centuries. It relies primarily on the reports of travellers and chroniclers, many of whom offer fascinating, firsthand information on what they saw and experienced during their travels in the country.

A Reader of Historical Texts, 11th-17th Centuries

Early Albania

The Bektashi dervish order is a Sufi Alevite sect found in Anatolia and the Balkans with a strong presence in Albania. In this, his final book, Robert Elsie analyses the Albanian Bektashi and considers their role in the country's history and society. Although much has been written on the Bektashi in Turkey, little has appeared on the Albanian branch of the sect. Robert Elsie considers the history and culture of the Bektashi, analyses writings on the order by early travellers to the region such as Margaret Hasluck and Sir Arthur Evans and provides a comprehensive list of tekkes (convents) and tyrbes (shrines) in Albania and neighbouring countries. Finally he presents a catalogue of notable Albanian Bektashi figures in history and legend. This book provides a complete reference guide to the Bektashi in Albania which will be essential reading for scholars of the Balkans, Islamic sects and Albanian history and culture.

History and Culture of a Dervish Order in the Balkans

The Albanian Bektashi

This text examines contemporary Albanian literature and culture from an outsider's perspective, bringing major Albanian literary works to a wide audience.

Studies in Modern Albanian Literature and Culture

The history of Albania includes some memorable characters - from the legendary Albanian hero Scanderbeg to the glamorous Queen Geraldine. Robert Elsie's extensively researched Biographical Dictionary of Albania History provides fascinating and comprehensible information on over 700 Albanian and Albania-related historical figures, from the Ancient World via the centuries of Ottoman rule, the struggle for independence and the years of communism right up to the end of the twentieth century. Taking an encyclopaedic approach, this unique book considers the colourful cast of characters that influenced Albania's history and development - be they native Albanians or visitors from overseas. All notable historical and political figures - from the Kings of Illyria to Enver Hoxha - are included as well as leading figures of culture and the arts - from Marin Barleti to Faik Konitza. Visitors who had intimate ties with Albania - including Lord Byron, Benjamin Disraeli, Edward Lear, Aubrey Herbert, Edith Durham and Rose Wilder Lane - are also studied. In addition to these well-known figures, the entries also comprise individuals as diverse as an eighteenth-century Montenegrin impostor, a German circus acrobat and the Austrian mistress of King Zog. As the most reliable and comprehensive source of information about Albanian history available in English, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of this pivotal Balkan state. Robert Elsie shows how this important group of individuals influenced Albanian history and helped to shape the country as it is today.

A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History

Albania is not well known by outsiders; it was deliberately closed to the outside world during the communist era. Now it has thankfully become free again, its borders are open and it can be visited, and it is increasingly integrating with the rest of Europe and beyond. Unfortunately, Albania has had its share of problems in the post-communist era; it's a land of destitution and despair, thanks in part to the Albanian mafia, which has turned the country into one of blood-feuds, kalashnikovs, and eternal crises. Yet, Albania is, in essence, a European nation like any other and will soon, it is to be hoped, advance and take its proper place in Europe and the world. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Albania relates the history of this little-known country through a detailed chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, appendixes, and over 700 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets.

Historical Dictionary of Albania

The hundred years between 1750 and 1850 were an age of astounding orthographic diversity in Albania. In this period, the Albanian language was put to writing in at least ten different alphabets - most certainly a record for European languages. This book introduces the diverse forms in which this old Balkan language was recorded, from the earliest documents to the beginning of the twentieth century. They consist of adaptations of the Latin, Greek, Arabic and Cyrillic alphabets and, what is even more interesting, a number of locally invented writing systems. Most of the latter alphabets have now been forgotten and are unknown, even to the Albanians themselves.

Borrowed and Invented

Albanian Alphabets

Janice Mathie-Heck

The Epics of Gilgamesh, Homer, Vergil, Shahnameh, are sources of our knowledge of religious beliefs. This epic is a welcome introduction to the spiritual world of the Albanians as they fought the crusades. The "Songs of the Frontier Warrior is the first English-language translation ever made of Albanian epic verse. As the product of a little-known culture and a difficult, rarely studied language, the Albanian epic has tended to remain in the shadow of the Serbo-Croatian, or more properly, Bosnian epic, with which it has undeniable affinities. This translation may thus be regarded as an initial attempt to rectify the imbalance and to give scholars and the reading public in general an opportunity to delve into the exotic world of the northern Albanian tribes. The present bilingual edition offers a broad selection of the best known songs. Also included are an introduction, a glossaries of terms and sources, and a selective bibliography.

Songs of the Frontier Warriors

Historical Dictionary of Kosova presents the region in a broader framework, focusing not only on the many issues that are still worthy of attention, but also on its rich culture and long history. A European country of more than two million people, it is a land of poets and writers, painters and sculptors, scholars and artists. Its features include finely ornamented Ottoman mosques and old Orthodox churches and monasteries, oriental bazaars, battlefields, and breathtaking landscapes. Kosova is also a country with substantial natural resources and a young and optimistic population intent on keeping its homeland free and, at the same time, making it an integral part of Europe. In this dictionary, readers can find more than 370 entries that profile historical and contemporary public figures and political leaders, as well as individuals who have made notable contributions to the arts and scholarship. The entries are complemented by an introductory essay, chronology, and extensive bibliography. A large portion of the material in this dictionary has never appeared in English, enabling readers of all levels to discover new information and making Kosova much more accessible.

Historical Dictionary of Kosova

Bejtullah D. Destani

Rudina Jasini

Despite the extensive analysis of the historical, political and legal background of many Balkan conflicts in recent years, little attention has been paid to the tragedy of the Cham ethnic community. In 1913 the commission entrusted by the London Conference of Ambassadors to define the southern borders of the newly created state of Albania ended its proceedings with the Protocol of Florence, which provided that the territories inhabited by almost half of the Albanian population were exempted from the boundaries of the new state. While nearly 800,000 inhabitants found themselves within the new state of Albania, the territories inhabited by the remaining 700,000 ethnic Albanians became constituent parts of Serbia and Greece - the winners of the Balkan Wars. The land of the Chams, a coastal area between southern Albania and north-west Greece known as 'Chameria', was entirely incorporated into Greece. Since that time, the predominantly Muslim Chams have faced severe persecution and forced expulsion from their homes in Greece, particularly under the Metaxas regime, when the Chams were prohibited from using their own language outside of their home, and also during World War II, when Chams were persecuted in retaliation for their collaboration with the Axis powers. In the aftermath of World War II, the continued persecution of the Chams forced many to return to Albania, or to seek refuge in Turkey or the United States with the result that, after the war, only just over 100 Muslim Cham Albanians were left in Greece. In recent years, following the collapse of communism in Albania, when foreign travel again became possible, many have sought to return to their homelands in Greece and to regain their property. The documents gathered together in this book consist of records of the League of Nations and the British Mission, as well as documents assembled by other diplomatic missions between 1913 and the 1960s. Together, they address all of the periods of forced expulsions of the Cham population from Greece. The publication of these documents provides an unparalleled historical record of the Cham story. This book will be essential reading for scholars of Balkan history, politics and human rights. It will provide a fascinating insight into one of the forgotten tragedies of the twentieth century.

A Documentary History

The Cham Albanians of Greece

This dictionary makes available for the first time a broad range of knowledge unknown or little-known to the western world, and indeed much information that is now lost to present-day Albanians. As such, it serves as a basic work of reference for readers and scholars specialising in the societies of the Balkans, th study of religious and anthropology.

A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology and Folk Culture

Fatos Kongoli

An English version of a novel by Fatos Kongoli. Why does Thesar Lumi disembark from the refugee ship to Italy and return to his home town? The question posed at the beginning of this compelling novel is answered as his life story is gradually revealed.

The Loser

This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Kosovo relates the history of Kosovo through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Kosovo.

Robert Elsie

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