Here we come, Albania!

Here we come, Albania!

Topographical map of Aegean peninsula. (from greeceathensaegeaninfo.com)

The topography of Albania is actually very reminiscent of California.  The eastern border is dominated by mountains, actually one end of the Alps.  The Alps start in Switzerland/Austria/Southern Germany, and then travel south where they split to form the Italian Alps along northern Italy (the Dolomites) and to the east they form the mountains of the Aegean peninsula.  See the large lake at the the middle of the map to the left?  That is Lake Scutari, on the border between Albania and Montenegro. 

Map of Albania from infoplease.com

You can see that the western half, or so, of Albania is a plain.  This is the breadbasket of the country... something like the San Joaquin Valley is a breadbasket in California.  Agricultural towns dot the San Joaquin Valley, as they do in Albania.  One of those Albanian towns is Lushnje.

Can you find Berat on the map to the right?  It is south and a little east of Tirane (or Tirana), the capitol.  Find Durres - it is almost due east of Tirana, then Lushjne south and east of Durres.
 
We will spend our first few days in Tirana, then towards the end of the first week we will travel through Durres and Lushnje (because that is how the main road goes) to Berat. 

Missionaries from our sister church in Kentucky reside in Lushnje.  Lushnje started as a rest stop during medieval times along the Durres-Berat road.  There, the Turkish widow Salushe offered refreshment and lodging for travelers and it became known by her name until the 20th century... in fact, it has been said that some old men still refer to it by that name.  During the Communist regime, there were a number of factories located here which have since closed, and the area surrounding Lushnje was the main district for Communist concentration camps.  Savra Field, about 2 miles from Lushnje, is the site of the first Albanian-Turkish battle in 1385 - the beginning of the Ottoman push to conquer Albania.  However, the conquest was not complete until the fall of Kruje in 1478 and Shkoder in 1479, almost a hundred years later.  Interestingly, during their invasion, the Turks marched along the Via Egnatia... now, where have we heard that name?
 

The most famous leader of the Albanian resistance, Skanderbeg, is a national hero.  In fact, the family banner of Skanderbeg was used during the resistance to the Turks and it became the flag of the Albanian national movement during the 20th century.  Perhaps you can recognize the two-headed eagle on a red field.

Modern Albanian flag

Skanderbeg began life as George Kastrioti, the son of an Albanian clan leader, Gjon Kastrioti, who submitted to the Turks.  As was the custom with the Ottomans, the sons of clan leaders were required to travel to the capital for military training and then were sent out to defend the Empire.  George was renamed Iskander when he converted to Islam, and then became known as Skanderbeg when he was administering a Balkan district.  Skanderbeg re-embraced Roman Catholicism and eventually declared holy war against the Turks.

Exactly what happened to the Albanians under Ottoman rule?