Gashi Valley () is a
strict nature reserve
A strict nature reserve (IUCN category Ia) or wilderness area (IUCN category Ib) is the highest category of protected area recognised by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), a body which is part of the International Union for ...
located in northern
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
. Along with
Rrajcë
Rrajcë is a village and a former municipality in Elbasan County, in eastern Albania. As of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality of Prrenjas. The population at the 2019 census was 12,121. , it forms the transnational
, encompassing 94 nature sites, in 18 European countries.
Geology
Spanning and situated in the basin of the
Gashi River, the valley is characterized by a rugged and fragmented alpine terrain made up of magmatic and limestone formations. Other prominent features of the valley include glacial formations such as cirques, ridges and rapids. The region has a mountainous
Continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
with harsh winters and cool summers, abundant clean waters, and glacial lakes formed in cirques and morainic deposits.
Biodiversity
The valley is host to a diverse range of plant and animal life, including beech forests (with a mix of spruce, mountain maple, cypress, hornbeam), alpine meadows (blueberries are extensively cultivated), many endemic and subendemic plants, and protected mammals such as the brown bear, racoon, goat, wild boar, roe deer, etc.
Culture
The Gashi valley region is rich in cultural heritage, with many symbolisms from,
Eposi i Kreshnikëve,
Muji
, or is a Japanese retailer which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods. Muji's design philosophy is minimalist, and it places an emphasis on recycling, reducing production and packaging waste, and a no-logo or "no-brand" policy. ...
and the mountain fairy, the legend of
Mic Sokoli and others.
The region is recognized for its folklore, specifically the famous ''
Tropojë Dance'' (), which is a candidate for inclusion in
UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage tentative list. Worthy of mention are the many ethnographic values in traditional clothing, most notably the
Xhubleta
The xhubleta is an undulating, bell-shaped Folk costume, folk skirt, Traditional Albanian clothing, traditionally worn by Albanians, Albanian women in northern Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro. It is a garment that survived from an ...
, an undulating, bell-shaped folk skirt, hung on the shoulders using two straps, worn by local women since at least the 17th century.
See also
*
Protected areas of Albania
Despite being a relatively small country, Albania is exceedingly rich in biodiversity. Its ecosystems and habitats support over 5,550 species of vascular and non-vascular plants and more than 15,600 species of coniferous and non-coniferous ev ...
*
World Heritage Sites in Albania
References
{{reflist
Protected areas of Albania