10/4/2017 WorldMayor:ThehistoryofTirana

ThehistoryofTiranaafusionof
IslamicandChristianinfluences
ByNickSwift

Tirana,thecapitalofAlbania,isanancientcitywithanearlyhistoryenrichedbythe
interplayofculturalforcesoriginatingintheIslamicandEuropeanChristianworlds.

Thereareanumberofhypothesesconcerningtheoriginofthename.

OneisthatitisfromthewordTherandathatGreekandLatinsourcesemploytorefertothe
SknderbeuSquareasitistoday.The
area,afterthetermteranatusedbytheinhabitants,meaningfallenmaterial,inreferenceto monumenttoAlbania'snationalhero
thecompositionoftheterrainoutofhardearthsweptdownbywaterfromthenearby waserectedin1968
mountains.
IntroducingEdiRama,Mayor
ItisfromTirkan,thenameusedbythesixthcenturyByzantinehistorianProkoptorefertoa ofTirana
InOctober2000,Mr.Ramaranasan
castle,firstbuiltinthefirstcenturyBC,onMountDajti,andtheruinsofwhichareextant. IndependentwithSocialistPartysupport
forthejobofMayorofTirana,andwon
Itisfromtyros,theoldGreekwordfordairy,onthehypothesisthatitwasinthefieldthere witha54percentmajority.
thattheshepherdsofsurroundingareasgatheredtotradedairyproducts. Withinamonththerewasanother
attemptonhislifewhenshotswerefired
intohisflat.
AnoftenrepeatedexplanationisthatTiranawassonamedbySulejmanPasha,theTurkish
militaryleaderatthetimeofTurkeysconquestofPersiainthe17thcentury,afterTehran,the Anyideaoftheartistasimpractical
capitalofPersia(nowIran).Suchatheorywould,however,seemtobecontradictedbythe dreamerisshatteredbyEdiRamas
achievementssofar.Heclaimsstillto
evidenceofTiranasnameinitscurrentformappearingina1418Venetiandocument. beanartistfirstandmostofall,and
activitiesinpublicservicearean
AfurtherspinontheSulejmanPashaideaisthatwhenhewasatthelocationofwhat extensionofhisaestheticsensibilityinto
therealmofactionandlife.Heshrewdly
becamethecityofwhichheisconsideredtohavebeenthefounder,hecameacrossan appraisesthelegacyofcommunismasa
elderlywomanwho,whenheaskedherwhatshewasdoing,replied,Potiran:spinningsilk. culturalandsocialtoxinthatcannotbe
eliminatedexceptovertime,and
perhapsaverylongtime.Butheis
RecordsofthefirstlandregistrationsundertheOttomansin143132revealthatTiranathen helpingrestoreTiranasocietysimmune
consistedof60inhabitedareas,withnearly1000housesand7300inhabitants. systemandpositiveattitudeby,for
example,theReturntoIdentity
Programme,ruthlesslyrazingthe
MarinBarleti,thefirsttowriteahistoryofAlbania(andhimselfofAlbaniandescent),tellsus haphazardand,often,environmentally
thatinthe15thcenturytherewereTiranaeMadheandTiranaeVogl(GreatandSmall seriouslydamagingoutlawbuildingsof
allkindsinordertoproduceaclean
Tirana).Barleti,aCatholicpriestandscholar,waslargelyresponsible,throughhisbiography slateonwhichurbanplanningcanoccur
ofhim,forcreatingwhatbecamethecultofIskanderBey,thetitle(inTurkish)(renderedin thatwillmeettheneedsofpresentand
AlbanianasSkenderbeu,andfrequentlyanglicizedasSkanderbeg)giventoGjergjKastrioti, futuregenerations.Fullprofile
anAlbaniannoblemanwho,afterbeingforciblybroughttoAdrianopleasayouthandgiven
militarytraining,distinguishedhimselfinanumberofcampaignsfortheOttomans,andwas
promotedtotherankofgeneral,butthenreturnedtoAlbaniatoliberateit,andspentthenext
25years,untilhisdeath,leadingasuccessfulguerillaresistanceagainsttheforcesofthe
Turkishempire.SkenderbeucontinuestobethenationalheroofAlbania.

The1583registrationrecordsinformusthatatthattimeTiranahad110inhabitedareas,2900
housesand20,000inhabitants.

WhenSulejmanPashaestablishedthecityin1614,hisfirstconstructionswereamosque,a
bakeryandahamam(Turkishsauna).

Twocenturieslater,controlofthecitywaswonbytheToptanifamilyofKruja.Itwasnoted
thatthetwooldestneighbourhoodswereMujosandPazari,betweenthegeographicalcentre
andElbasaniStreet,oneithersideoftheLanaRiver.

In1703Tiranahad4000inhabitants.

In1769Tiranaanditsenvironsexported2600barrelsofoliveoiland14,000packagesof
tobaccotoVenice.

In1820Tiranahad12,000inhabitants.

In1901itspopulationwas15,000.Ithad140,000olivetrees,400oilmills,and700shops.

In1938Tiranaspopulationhadgrownto38,000.

By1945ithad60,000inhabitants.

Theconstruction,bythebestartisansinthecountry,ofthemosqueinthecentreofTirana,
calledtheMosqueofEthemBeu,wasbeguninin1789byMollaBeuofPetrela(alocalein
Albania).Itwasfinishedin1821byhisson,whowasalsoSulejmanPashasgrandnephew.
TheClockTowerwasstartedbyHaxhiEthemBeuaround182122,andwasfinishedwiththe
helpoftherichestfamiliesofTirana.ItsinstallationwastheworkoftheTufinafamily.In1928

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10/4/2017 WorldMayor:ThehistoryofTirana

theAlbanianstateboughtamodernclockinGermany,andthetowerwasraisedtoaheightof
35metres.TheclockwasdamagedduringWorldWarII,butwasrestoredtofullfunctionin
July1946.

TheOrthodoxChurchofSaintProkopwasbuiltin1780.

TheCatholicChurchofSaintMariawasconstructedin1865attheexpenseoftheAustrian
HungarianEmperor,FrancJosef.TheTabakveandTerzivebridges(respectivelyinfrontof
theParliamentbuildingandonElbasaniStreet)datefromthebeginningofthe20thcentury.
ThemosquethatisalsothetombofKapllanHysa(nearthemonumenttoUshtariIPanjohur
(theunknownsoldier))wasbuiltin1816.

TheLibrarywasestablishedin1922,with5000volumes.

TheFortressofPetrela,12kilometresfromTirana,datesfromthefourthcenturyBC.Ittook
itscurrentforminthe13thcentury,undertheruleofTopiaj,andlaterbecamethepropertyof
theKastriotis.

On8February,1920TiranawasmadethetemporarycapitalbytheCongressofLushnja,and
acquiredthatstatuspermanentlyon31December,1925.

Since1925,whentheywerebannedinTurkey,Tiranahasbeentheprimarycentreinthe
worldoftheBektashis,anorderofdervisheswhotaketheirnamefromHajiBektash,aSufi
saintofthe13thand14thcenturies.(ItwasthesameHajiBektashwhoblessedthe
Janissaries,thefamedOttomanfightingcorpsthatoriginallycomprisednonMuslim
conscripts,manyofthemAlbanians.)

Thefirstregulatoryplanofthecitywascompiledin1923byEstefFrashri.DurrsiStreet
wasopenedin1922,andwascalledNanaMbretnesh(MotherQueen).Manyhousesand
surroundingpropertiesweredemolishedtomakewayforit.Theexistingparliamentary
buildingwasraisedin1924,andfirstservedasaclubforofficers.Itwasthere,inSeptember
1928,thatAhmetZoguproclaimedthemonarchy.

ThecentreofTiranawastheprojectofFlorestanodeFaustoandArmandoBrasini,well
knownarchitectsoftheMussoliniperiodinItaly.ThePalaceofBrigades(oftheformer
monarch),theministriesbuildings,theNationalBankandtheMunicipalityaretheirwork.

TheDshmoreteKombit(NationalMartyrs)Boulevardwasbuiltin1930andgiventhe
nameZoguIBoulevard.Inthecommunistperiod,thepartfromSknderbejSquareuptothe
trainstationwasnamedStalinBoulevard.

ThePalaceofCulture(PallatiIKulturs),wheretheTheatreofOperasandBalletandthe
NationalLibrarystand,wascompletedin1963onthesiteoftheformerTradeofTirana
building,withthefirstbrickbeingplacedbySovietpresidentNikitaHrushovin1959.

ThemonumenttoSknderbeu,raisedin1968,istheworkofOdhisePaskaliincollaboration
withAndreaManaandJanaqPao.Itcommemoratedthe500thanniversaryofthedeathof
thenationalhero.

ThemonumenttoMotherTheresa,12metreshigh,wasinauguratedintheDshmorete
Kombitcemeteryin1971.

TheAcademyofSciencesbuildingwascompletedinApril1972.

TheGalleryofFigurativeArtswascreatedin1976,andincludesaround3200worksby
Albanianandforeignartists.

TheNationalHistoricalMuseumwasbuiltin1981.Theornamentalmosaiconitsfrontis
calledAlbania.

TheInternationalCulturalCentre,formerlytheEnverHoxhaMuseum,wasinauguratedin
1988.PopularlyreferredtoasthePyramid,itwasdesignedbyagroupofarchitectsunder
thedirectionofthedictatorsdaughter,Pranvera,andherhusbandKlementKolaneci.

In1990Tiranahad250,000inhabitants,andsincethenthelargescaleinfluxfromotherparts
ofthecountryhasincreasedthepopulationtoover700,000.

In2000thecentreofTirana,fromthecentralcampusofTiranauniversityuptoSknderbej
Square,wasdeclaredtheplaceofCulturalAssembly,withspecialclaimstostateprotection.
InthesameyeartheareabeganaprocessofrestorationunderthenameReturntoIdentity.

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