Kallarat Village

KALLARAT Troy of Labëri

First Impressions 2

Kallarat village, cannot be perceived from the coastal Riviera road, as it is situated behind Himara Mountain named as “Lightning Peak”, in the northern end of the valley cut by the Vlora River, which meanders past many of villages of the inner Labëria and empties out at present day Borsh. Many of villages in this remote valley, such as Bolenë Vranisht, and further south –east Kuç, are located higher up in the hills, in defensive positions, slightly out of the direct route of the marauders who terrorized this valley over the centuries. Kallarat is at the bottom of the valley, directly next to the river, a very different kind of position for a village in this area, indicating either a kind of defiance, or a stance toward peace and tranquility. In practical terms, proximity to the water source would have made life in Kallarat much easier than that higher up. In the extreme reaches, like Pilur for example, ground water is almost nonexistent even with deep wells. Today Kallarat, like many of the areas villages, is a quiet, subdued place, whose rich history is everywhere within reach.

Kallarat is close to Vranisht and forms a formidable and beautiful trio with Kuç for a two-day exploration of the valley geography and history.

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First Impressions 2

Kallarat village, cannot be perceived from the coastal Riviera road, as it is situated behind Himara Mountain named as “Lightning Peak”, in the northern end of the valley cut by the Vlora River, which meanders past many of villages of the inner Labëria and empties out at present day Borsh. Many of villages in this remote valley, such as Bolenë Vranisht, and further south –east Kuç, are located higher up in the hills, in defensive positions, slightly out of the direct route of the marauders who terrorized this valley over the centuries. Kallarat is at the bottom of the valley, directly next to the river, a very different kind of position for a village in this area, indicating either a kind of defiance, or a stance toward peace and tranquility. In practical terms, proximity to the water source would have made life in Kallarat much easier than that higher up. In the extreme reaches, like Pilur for example, ground water is almost nonexistent even with deep wells. Today Kallarat, like many of the areas villages, is a quiet, subdued place, whose rich history is everywhere within reach.

Kallarat is close to Vranisht and forms a formidable and beautiful trio with Kuç for a two-day exploration of the valley geography and history.

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the People - economic activity

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Oriented toward farming, locals have the tradition of spit-roasted meat. After a long roasting process, the meat, typically lamb, is put in the middle of the table of guests and is sliced by the host. The tail of the lamb is considered the delicacy, and is given to the guest who traveled the farthest, and is therefore the most honored. Local culinary tradition also includes pies baked in a shallow pan, with pasta sheets sometimes stuffed with nettle, cabbage, dairy products, curd, and cheese. The local cuisine also offers various kinds of salads using local produce like tomatoes, peppers, onions, and wild cabbages. Due to the very favorable climate, many fruits are grown in this region, among which the most distinguished are figs, grapes, nuts, apples, pears, cherries, and quince.

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the People - economic activity

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Oriented toward farming, locals have the tradition of spit-roasted meat. After a long roasting process, the meat, typically lamb, is put in the middle of the table of guests and is sliced by the host. The tail of the lamb is considered the delicacy, and is given to the guest who traveled the farthest, and is therefore the most honored. Local culinary tradition also includes pies baked in a shallow pan, with pasta sheets sometimes stuffed with nettle, cabbage, dairy products, curd, and cheese. The local cuisine also offers various kinds of salads using local produce like tomatoes, peppers, onions, and wild cabbages. Due to the very favorable climate, many fruits are grown in this region, among which the most distinguished are figs, grapes, nuts, apples, pears, cherries, and quince.

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The people - the tradition

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Inhabitants of Kallarat wear the traditional white kilt that falls below the knees, a white shirt with wide sleeves, and the waistcoat sewn in black with gold braids and folk motifs embroidered in red. Other characteristic elements are black or green leather shoes with crests on top—the shoes and dress overall are similar to that of other villages of the region.

Mountainous and agricultural, many farm men and those who do, wear a woolen cape over their shoulders with black fringes.

“The Tosks inhabiting Lower Albania, are tall and well built, and extremely agile in all their movements; their features are regular and intelligent, but like most Albanians they have a fierce, cruel, and sometimes cunning cast of countenance, and a swagger in their gait, by which they can easily be distinguished from the other races, even when divested of their national costume. They are of a warlike and ferocious disposition, yet they have noble qualities which atone in some measure for their ferocity and produce a very mixed impression of the national character. They are a constant source of dread to strangers, but objects of implicit confidence and trust to those who have gained their friendship and earned their gratitude”.

Fanny Janet Blunt (1839-1926), in “The Albanians”.

Source: http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts19_2/ AH1878_3.html

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A Souliote warrior wearing fustanella. Dupré Louis,Voyage a Athenes et a Constantinople, ou collection des portraits, de vues et costumes grecs et ottomans. Paris: Dondey- Dupré, 1825. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fustanella

The people - the tradition

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Inhabitants of Kallarat wear the traditional white kilt that falls below the knees, a white shirt with wide sleeves, and the waistcoat sewn in black with gold braids and folk motifs embroidered in red. Other characteristic elements are black or green leather shoes with crests on top—the shoes and dress overall are similar to that of other villages of the region.

Mountainous and agricultural, many farm men and those who do, wear a woolen cape over their shoulders with black fringes.

“The Tosks inhabiting Lower Albania, are tall and well built, and extremely agile in all their movements; their features are regular and intelligent, but like most Albanians they have a fierce, cruel, and sometimes cunning cast of countenance, and a swagger in their gait, by which they can easily be distinguished from the other races, even when divested of their national costume. They are of a warlike and ferocious disposition, yet they have noble qualities which atone in some measure for their ferocity and produce a very mixed impression of the national character. They are a constant source of dread to strangers, but objects of implicit confidence and trust to those who have gained their friendship and earned their gratitude”.

Fanny Janet Blunt (1839-1926), in “The Albanians”.

Source: http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts19_2/ AH1878_3.html

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A Souliote warrior wearing fustanella. Dupré Louis,Voyage a Athenes et a Constantinople, ou collection des portraits, de vues et costumes grecs et ottomans. Paris: Dondey- Dupré, 1825. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fustanella

The People - the craftworks

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Kallarat also has an estimable tradition of craft. Today in the village there is still a small workshop for the weaving of carpets, rugs, covers, blankets, and colored woolen carpet runners. The products have been decorated and stylized with figures and symbols of animals or birds, as well as elements of the looming tradition. This modest workshop also prepares wooden carvings with decorative elements of traditional furniture.

Hand-loom, weaving authentic Albanian rugs and motifs. Source: web

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Figure 1: This is an Albanian baby cradle made in the late 19th century. The cradle shape and form are traditional. The heavily hand carved design motifs on the wooden surface give this primitive piece refinement. The wood has a very nice patina.

Detail of the hand carved design motifs on the baby cradle

The People - the craftworks

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Kallarat also has an estimable tradition of craft. Today in the village there is still a small workshop for the weaving of carpets, rugs, covers, blankets, and colored woolen carpet runners. The products have been decorated and stylized with figures and symbols of animals or birds, as well as elements of the looming tradition. This modest workshop also prepares wooden carvings with decorative elements of traditional furniture.

Hand-loom, weaving authentic Albanian rugs and motifs. Source: web

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Figure 1: This is an Albanian baby cradle made in the late 19th century. The cradle shape and form are traditional. The heavily hand carved design motifs on the wooden surface give this primitive piece refinement. The wood has a very nice patina.

Detail of the hand carved design motifs on the baby cradle

The People - the culture 10

Like the entire region of LabĂŤria, the inhabitants of Kallarat carry on a tradition of polyphonic singing. This music produced in Kallarat sometimes is accompanied by the double fife, a wind instrument with two wooden reeds in a unique body, a very ancient and characteristic instrument that is found reflected also in the ancient archeological reliefs discovered in these parts. Another characteristic element of the song of Kallarat is that sung by a soloist, who sings pastoral or epic songs.

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The People - the culture 10

Like the entire region of LabĂŤria, the inhabitants of Kallarat carry on a tradition of polyphonic singing. This music produced in Kallarat sometimes is accompanied by the double fife, a wind instrument with two wooden reeds in a unique body, a very ancient and characteristic instrument that is found reflected also in the ancient archeological reliefs discovered in these parts. Another characteristic element of the song of Kallarat is that sung by a soloist, who sings pastoral or epic songs.

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The roots - the history 12

According to archeological findings Kallarat and the areas directly around it have been inhabited variously through time since the eleventh century. But it wasn’t until the fifteenth century, under the Ottomans, that written accounts of the area emerge. According to Ottoman cadastral registers dating back to 1432, Kallarat was once the biggest settlement of this region and had eighty-seven houses and a population of roughly 600 inhabitants. The population of Kallarat reached its apex in the early twentieth century: in 1927 it had 552 houses with about 2000 inhabitants.

Until 1914, the village was situated at the place called Bogomile, a Slav toponym probably applied during the period of Bulgarian rule from the tenth to twelfth centuries. Bogo means God, and Bogomile was “the place of Gods.” Today the ruins of two- and threestory houses of the village are still standing despite a devastating fire in 1914 set by Greek chauvinist forces that slaughtered the overwhelming part of the population of this settlement. Under the ruins of the old village are still more ruins; that of two churches dating to the end of the eighteenth century.

Kallarat was originally composed of seven families, which divided the village spatially: Gjinaj, Gjokkondi, Gjinzes, Mërgjin, Misërgjon, Qesëraj. The surnames of the main village families Gjonbrati (Gjon + brati; Gjon brothers), Thanasi, Qejvani or Jovani, remain present today, and connect to the early Christian Orthodox faith in Kallarat and the surrounding region.

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The roots - the history 12

According to archeological findings Kallarat and the areas directly around it have been inhabited variously through time since the eleventh century. But it wasn’t until the fifteenth century, under the Ottomans, that written accounts of the area emerge. According to Ottoman cadastral registers dating back to 1432, Kallarat was once the biggest settlement of this region and had eighty-seven houses and a population of roughly 600 inhabitants. The population of Kallarat reached its apex in the early twentieth century: in 1927 it had 552 houses with about 2000 inhabitants.

Until 1914, the village was situated at the place called Bogomile, a Slav toponym probably applied during the period of Bulgarian rule from the tenth to twelfth centuries. Bogo means God, and Bogomile was “the place of Gods.” Today the ruins of two- and threestory houses of the village are still standing despite a devastating fire in 1914 set by Greek chauvinist forces that slaughtered the overwhelming part of the population of this settlement. Under the ruins of the old village are still more ruins; that of two churches dating to the end of the eighteenth century.

Kallarat was originally composed of seven families, which divided the village spatially: Gjinaj, Gjokkondi, Gjinzes, Mërgjin, Misërgjon, Qesëraj. The surnames of the main village families Gjonbrati (Gjon + brati; Gjon brothers), Thanasi, Qejvani or Jovani, remain present today, and connect to the early Christian Orthodox faith in Kallarat and the surrounding region.

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The setting - urban fabric

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Kallarat is a village that is located above—or, to be more precise, behind—Himarë Mountain (known as “Lightning Peak”), which lies on the side of a high rocky massif that called Bogonicë Mountain. The houses of this settlement lie up to the shores of the Shushicë River and are limited north to Kuç and east to Bolenë and further to Vranisht. Currently, Kallarat is administratively part of Vranisht Commune. The road distance from the city of Vlorë to Kallarat is 52 kilometers and follows the flow of the Shushicë River.

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The setting - urban fabric

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Kallarat is a village that is located above—or, to be more precise, behind—Himarë Mountain (known as “Lightning Peak”), which lies on the side of a high rocky massif that called Bogonicë Mountain. The houses of this settlement lie up to the shores of the Shushicë River and are limited north to Kuç and east to Bolenë and further to Vranisht. Currently, Kallarat is administratively part of Vranisht Commune. The road distance from the city of Vlorë to Kallarat is 52 kilometers and follows the flow of the Shushicë River.

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The architecture of dwellings

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The houses of this mountainous village preserve the building characteristics of the area. The dwellings are built with domestic stones and roofs are mostly covered with stone slabs and with roof tiles as well.

Hospitality and generosity have been and are still wellknown characteristics of the inhabitants of this village.

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The architecture of dwellings

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The houses of this mountainous village preserve the building characteristics of the area. The dwellings are built with domestic stones and roofs are mostly covered with stone slabs and with roof tiles as well.

Hospitality and generosity have been and are still wellknown characteristics of the inhabitants of this village.

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The architecture of living - front yards design

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Someone knows more about a person, if s/he looks into the person’s living environment.

The houses (and people) in Kallarat are very welcoming. Looking through the semi-transparent fence, you can see a front garden which is cultivated, full of fruit trees that do not only offer tasty fruits but shade and shadow during hot summer days, as well.

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The architecture of living - front yards design

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Someone knows more about a person, if s/he looks into the person’s living environment.

The houses (and people) in Kallarat are very welcoming. Looking through the semi-transparent fence, you can see a front garden which is cultivated, full of fruit trees that do not only offer tasty fruits but shade and shadow during hot summer days, as well.

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The architecture of living - front yards design

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The house garden fence is usually made of a combination of materials: masonry (stone wall) and metal, including the outer door. The fence is high enough to prevent any ‘intrusion�, create privacy and intimate atmosphere, but low enough to allow and invite for visual communication. The design of perforated brick fence wall, allows secure natural ventilation and creation of microclimate, while creating a magical quality of light.

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The architecture of living - front yards design

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The house garden fence is usually made of a combination of materials: masonry (stone wall) and metal, including the outer door. The fence is high enough to prevent any ‘intrusion�, create privacy and intimate atmosphere, but low enough to allow and invite for visual communication. The design of perforated brick fence wall, allows secure natural ventilation and creation of microclimate, while creating a magical quality of light.

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the landscape - land]marked by memorials

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During World War II, Kallarat participated in the Antifascist Resistance and ranked among the partisan formations, rendering a special contribution to the liberation of the country— thirty residents of Kallarat lost their lives in battle.

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the landscape - land]marked by memorials

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During World War II, Kallarat participated in the Antifascist Resistance and ranked among the partisan formations, rendering a special contribution to the liberation of the country— thirty residents of Kallarat lost their lives in battle.

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the legend of Kallarat -Troy of Labëri

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According to the legend, the old village of Kallarat was called “Troy of Labëri.” The explicit link between Kallarat and the Homeric is unknown today, but the legend continues to prevail nonetheless. Kallarat used to be the biggest village of the area, with roughly 1,200 houses and some forty shops—a fact that is mentioned in an old folk song still sung today.

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the legend of Kallarat -Troy of Labëri

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According to the legend, the old village of Kallarat was called “Troy of Labëri.” The explicit link between Kallarat and the Homeric is unknown today, but the legend continues to prevail nonetheless. Kallarat used to be the biggest village of the area, with roughly 1,200 houses and some forty shops—a fact that is mentioned in an old folk song still sung today.

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Facts & figures 28

Today, Kallarat has few inhabitants, maybe less than 500. After the 1990s, a considerable number of people migrated both internally, toward larger cities, and externally, mainly to Greece and Italy.

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Facts & figures 28

Today, Kallarat has few inhabitants, maybe less than 500. After the 1990s, a considerable number of people migrated both internally, toward larger cities, and externally, mainly to Greece and Italy.

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Imprint

Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al

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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al

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Imprint

Published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany ‘Integrated Sustainable Development of the Southern Coastal Region‘ Rr. “Skenderbej” 21/1 T +355 42 230 414 www.giz.de/en/worldwide/294.html February 2016 Printed by Gent Grafik Address: L.Ali Demi, Rr. Idriz Dollaku., Tiranë – Albania www.gentgrafik.al

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Design and layout PIK Creative Address: Rr. Pjetër Bogdani, nr. 37, Tiranë - Albania www.pik.al Photo credits Armand Habazaj unless otherwise stated Copyright with GIZ Text Irakli Koçollari GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Alternatively: German Federal Foreign Office To get more information about Albania please visit: www.albania.al

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