Lubishtë (, ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Vitia,

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

Geography

The village is located on the slopes of the Karadak Mountain range.

History

All the villagers belong to the Sopi tribe and are divided into five clans (Mahalla). They descend from Albanian settlers who originally came from the village of Lubizhdë near

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

in the 1730s. According to an Ottoman defter from 1901, Lubishtë had a population of 426, all of whom were of the Islamic faith. Lubishtë was part of the

Karadak Karadak is a village in the municipality of Raška, Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map ...

nahija within the

Kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

of Gjilan. During the Albanian revolt of 1910, Idriz Seferi recruited fighters from Lubishtë, including Zejnë Lubishta, who took part in the Battle of the Kaçanik Pass. After the Albanian revolt of 1910, the

nahija was dissolved to disrupt the organization of Albanian rebels in the region. Following its dissolution, Lubishtë became part of the Nahija of Upper Morava and served as its seat. During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

, Zejnë Lubishta, from the village, led Albanian Kachaks against the Serbian Army in

. In the following months villages in

, including Lubishtë, were targeted by the Serbian Army. According to reports, most of Lubishtë's population was massacred. In November 1912, 18 or 19 people were massacred in the village. On February 15, 1913, the Serbian Army carried out another massacre, killing 68 Albanians in Lubishtë. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the Karadak Insurgency, Ballist fighters from Lubishtë, led by Mustafë Uka, conducted military operations in the region and participated in the First Battle of Preševo. During the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

, in April 1999, Yugoslav forces launched an offensive against several villages in Viti, including Lubishtë. On April 5, Serbian paramilitaries attacked the village, in the following battle, five KLA fighters were killed in action. According to U.S. reports, at least 20 Albanians were executed in Lubishtë.

Notable People

* Rashit Mustafa, KLA commander.

References

Villages in Viti, Kosovo {{Kosovo-geo-stub