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Llap Region ( sq, Krahina e Llapit, lit=Region of Llap; sr, Лабско поље, Labsko polje, lit=Plain of Lab) is a region located in the north-eastern part of
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. Llap in the broadest sense includes the watershed of the Llap river. The Lab water collection begins in the mount of
Kopaonik Kopaonik ( sr-cyr, Копаоник, ; sq, Kopaoniku) is a mountain range located in Serbia and Kosovo. The highest point is the Pančić's Peak with . The central part of the Kopaonik plateau was declared a national park in 1981 which today cove ...
in the north and west, and ends by joining the
Sitnica The Sitnica ( sq, Sitnicë; sr-Cyrl, Ситница) is a river in Kosovo. It flows into the Ibar at Mitrovica, and it is the longest river that flows completely within Kosovo. History In the 14th century, during the reign of king Milutin, ...
river in Lumadh, municipality of
Vushtrri Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the munic ...
, in the north-west of
Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
. The topographic watershed of the Lab covers an area of 945.4 km. This area approximately corresponds to the administrative territory of the municipality of
Podujevo Podujevo ( sr-Cyrl, Подујево), Podujeva, or Besiana ( sq-definite, Podujevë or ''Besianë''), is a city and municipality in Kosovo's Pristina District. According to the 2011 census, the city of Podujeva has 23,453 inhabitants, while t ...
in the current division of Kosovo. Podujevo as a city in the Llap region is the most important economic, political, administrative, educational, cultural and health center. About 120 villages gravitate to this region, although some of them administratively belong to the municipalities of Prishtina,
Vushtrri Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the munic ...
or Mitrovica. The municipality of Podujevo includes 78 villages.


Etymology

The territory of Llap is named after the
hydronym A hydronym (from el, ὕδρω, , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a ...
Llap (
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
name for the Lab river). Many scholars take the hydronym Lab as ancient and bring it from an alb-, from which lab-, alp- could emerge.


Geography

The Llap region is located on north-east part of Kosovo. The average elevation of Llap is 825m (Anonymos, 1995). Through this region pass the main road and border which connects
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
and
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. Along Llap Region since Illyrian-Romam period, passed an important Balkan Route Lissus-Naissus (
Lezhë Lezhë (, sq-definite, Lezha) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality. One of the main strongholds of the Labeatai, the earliest of the fortification walls of Lezhë are of typical Illyrian const ...
-
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
) or Via De Zenta, which connected the
Adriatic Coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
with central part of
Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. In north-east and east of the region are two important saddles: Përpellac Saddle (813m) and Merdar Saddle (647m oversea level) (Anonymos, 1995). Llap region as a microgeographical whole is divided into three parts: # Llap field (also called "Little Kosovo" / sq, Kosova e Vogël), which stretches from the village of Repë in the north and south to the village of Besi- Barileve, with a length of more than 35 km and with a width of 12-15 km on the line
Batllavë Batllavë (, ) is a village in Podujevë municipality. See also * List of villages in Podujevo References Villages in Podujevo Villages in Kosovo {{Podujevo ...
-
Llapashticë e Epërme Llapashticë e Epërme (, ) is a village in Podujevë municipality. References Villages in Podujevo {{Podujevo ...
. # Llap gorge, which includes the territory from the village of Repë to the village of Murgull, with a length of about 14 km, and from Bellasica to the Cape of Uglari, which is about 14 km wide. # Gallap of Llap, which stretches from the village of
Batlava Batlava Lake ( sq, Liqeni i Batllavës; sr, text=Батлавско језеро, translit=Batlavsko jezero) refers to both a lake and resort located in Kosovo. History The village of Batlava is inhabited by Albanians. The artificial lake was ...
to the village of Medergofc/Medregovac and from the village of Turuqica to Keqekollë and
Koliq Koliq (in Albanian) is a village northeast of Pristina, Kosovo. It is in the Gollak region, which with other villages make up the District of Pristina The District of Pristina ( sq, Rajoni i Prishtinës, sr, Приштински округ, P ...
. This territory has more hilly-mountainous areas.


History


Prehistory

This region was ruled by an Illyrian tribe,
Dardani The Dardani (; grc, Δαρδάνιοι, Δάρδανοι; la, Dardani) or Dardanians were a Paleo-Balkan people, who lived in a region that was named Dardania after their settlement there. They were among the oldest Balkan peoples, and their ...
where the
Kingdom of Dardania The Kingdom of Dardania was a polity formed in the central Balkans in the region of Dardania during classical antiquity. It is named after the Dardani, a Paleo-Balkan tribe which formed its population and formed the core of the Dardanian polity. ...
took place. The south part of the region, the Gallap of Llap, were inhabited by
Galabri The Galabri (Ancient Greek: Γαλάβριοι) were a Dardanian tribe, along with the Thunatae, mentioned by Strabo.; . Name The tribe is mentioned by Ancient Greek author Strabo in his ''Geographica'' as ''Galabrioi''. The tribal name ''Galabr ...
tribe. This may prove the origin of the toponym Gallap, which is thought to come from the name of this tribe.
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
writes that they are a "people of the Dardaniatae, in whose land is an ancient city". In the village of Gllamnik has been found an ancient locality who is believed to be Vindenis. This locality belongs to the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
period (I-IV centuries) and that of late antiquity (IV-VI centuries). Although the excavations at this site were quite modest (a total of 534 m2 or only 2% of the area was excavated), they shed light on traces of Roman antiquity where special discoveries such as the
Orpheus Mosaic Orpheus mosaics are found throughout the Roman Empire, normally in large Roman villas. The scene normally shown is Orpheus playing his lyre, and attracting birds and animals of many species to gather around him. Orpheus was a popular subject in ...
, unique in the Balkans and beyond.


Ottoman Period

Considering the fact that Kosovo was under Ottoman Rule, also
Podujevo Podujevo ( sr-Cyrl, Подујево), Podujeva, or Besiana ( sq-definite, Podujevë or ''Besianë''), is a city and municipality in Kosovo's Pristina District. According to the 2011 census, the city of Podujeva has 23,453 inhabitants, while t ...
remained under Ottoman Rule from 1455 to 1912. In the first Ottoman records of the
Sanjak of Vučitrn Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
in 1455, we encounter the Nahija of Llap which was the second largest nahija in this sanjak. Nahija had 219 settlements, which includes some villages of today's municipalities of: Mitrovica,
Vushtrri Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the munic ...
,
Skenderaj Skenderaj ( sq-definite, Skënderaj or ''Skënderaji'') or Srbica ( sr-Cyrl, Србица) is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Skënderaj has 9,372 inhabitants, while ...
, about 90% of
Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
and Podujevo as a whole. In the
Defter A ''defter'' (plural: ''defterler'') was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Description The information collected could vary, but ''tahrir defterleri'' typically included details of villages, dwellings, household ...
of
Jizya Jizya ( ar, جِزْيَة / ) is a per capita yearly taxation historically levied in the form of financial charge on dhimmis, that is, permanent Kafir, non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The jizya tax has been unde ...
of 1485, Llapi had 5,952 Christian families while in 1488/89 Llapi had 7,399 households. In the Ottomanrecords of 1566–74, Nahija of Llap was divided into 4 smaller nahijas: Llap,
Gollak Gollak ( sq-definite, Gollaku, sr, Гољак, Goljak) or Gallap ( sq-definite, Gallapi) is a mountainous and ethnographic region in the eastern part of Kosovo and partially in Serbia, bordering the Llap region to the North, the Kosovo field t ...
, Belasnica and Trepča. After the partition, Nahija of Llap extended to the present territory of the municipality of Podujevo as a whole, and a large part of the municipality of Prishtina, to the southernmost villages of this municipality. In 1487, Albanian toponyms such as ''Arbanas'' were mentioned in the Nahija of Llapi. In the 18th century the Nahija of Llap was part of the Sanjak of Pristina. At this time, Llapi lost many residents due to two plagues who stroke the place. During the Austro-Ottoman war the Austrian army destroyed and robbed the city of
Podujevo Podujevo ( sr-Cyrl, Подујево), Podujeva, or Besiana ( sq-definite, Podujevë or ''Besianë''), is a city and municipality in Kosovo's Pristina District. According to the 2011 census, the city of Podujeva has 23,453 inhabitants, while t ...
twice. During the
First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 18 ...
, the Serbian army got into the village of Reçica and killed 30 people of Demë Ahmeti's house, an Albanian national hero. This happened at 28 June 1811, during the feast of Eid. The rebellion against Ottomans started when Sulltan Abdyl Mejid proclaimed “The Saint Decree of Julhane” in 1839 which increased taxes and so it brought many rebellions. The population of Llapi fought against these reforms and during 1843 the Ottomans temporary left Llapi and started to organize the reoccupation. The rebels gathered many soldiers from the surrounding region and they won the battles against Ottomans, taking Pristina and stimulating a bigger rebellion in other regions. This rebellion was extinguished in 1847. When Serbia acquired the
Sanjak of Nis Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг ('' okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
in 1877, many Albanians started to leave their houses and to come to the other parts of Kosovo, where Llapi was tone of their first destinations. There is not a single village in Podujevo where Muhajirs or migrants cannot be found, furthermore, they established new villages. Albanians of Llapi, since the First League of Prizren did not pay taxes to the Ottomans. Afterwards, the Ottomans built a military cantonment during 1892 and 1899 since they detected Serbian Army movements near the border. The Albanian rebellion against Ottomans during 1906 was primary organized in the Llapi region. Another rebellion was that of 1910 which started in the Llapi region. The relationships between the residents and the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The nam ...
were becoming very fraught and when Sulltan
Mehmed V Mehmed V Reşâd ( ota, محمد خامس, Meḥmed-i ḫâmis; tr, V. Mehmed or ; 2 November 1844 – 3 July 1918) reigned as the 35th and penultimate Ottoman Sultan (). He was the son of Sultan Abdulmejid I. He succeeded his half-brother ...
came to visit Kosovo, very few Llapi residents were present. Llapi is also known for its cooperation with
Isa Boletini Isa Boletini (; 15 January 186423 or 24 January 1916) was an Albanian revolutionary commander and politician and rilindas from Kosovo. As a young man, he joined the Albanian nationalist League of Prizren and participated in a battle against Ot ...
, who during 1911 operated around this zone. Many soldiers from around the villages of Llapi and Gallapi pledged loyalty to Boletini in 1912, in the Bradash pledge. Their goal was to initiate the general Albanian rebellion against Ottoman Rule and they were part of the rebellion until it ended.


Modern

In 1997, the
Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...
was formed so Yugoslav authorities started brutal campaign against it in 1998. For such reason, NATO started Military campaign so it could protect the civilian population. In March 1999, the
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
killed 14 Albanian civilians. After the war, the process of establishing Municipal Assembly began in 2002. Later in 17 of February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence. During the Kosovo War (1998-1999), the town was the site of the Podujevo massacre, on March 28, in which 14 Kosovo Albanian women and children were executed by Serbian paramilitary forces.


Notable people

*
Jashar Erebara Jashar Sadik Erebara (1873-1953) was a figure involved in the Albanian National Awakening. During June 1900 an Albanian newspaper was published in Ottoman Turkish and Romanian at Bucharest with no connections to any Albanian societies. At the tim ...
*
Adem Demaçi Adem Demaçi (; 26 February 1936 – 26 July 2018) was a Kosovo Albanian politician and writer. Early life Demaçi studied literature, law, and education in Pristina, Belgrade, and Skopje respectively. In the 1950s, he published a number of sh ...
*
Fatmir Sejdiu Fatmir Sejdiu (; born 23 October 1951) is a Kosovar politician. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and was the 1st President of Republic of Kosovo. Early life and education Fatmir Sejdiu was born on October 23, 1951, in t ...
* Zahir Pajaziti *
Fadil Vokrri Fadil Avdullah Vokrri ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Fadilj Avdulah Vokri, Фадиљ Авдулах Вокри; 23 July 1960 – 9 June 2018) was a yugoslavian football player and administrator of albanian origin. Arguably one of the greates ...
*
Granit Xhaka Granit Xhaka (born 27 September 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Arsenal and the Switzerland national team. Xhaka began his career at hometown club FC Basel, winning the Swiss Super League in each of ...


Annotations


References


Sources

* Geographical regions of Kosovo Kosovo Ethnographic Regions Albanian ethnographic regions {{Kosovo-geo-stub