Peqin (, sq-definite, Peqini) is a town and municipality in

Elbasan County Elbasan County () is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population is 232,580 (as of 2023), in an area of 3199 km2. Its capital is the city Elbasan. Administrative divisions Until 2000, Elbasan County was subdivided into four districts: ...

, central

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 ...

. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Gjoçaj, Karinë, Pajovë, Peqin, Përparim and Shezë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Peqin. The total population is 16,580 as of the 2023 census, in a total area of 197.90 km². The population of the municipal unit as of the 2023 census is 4,753.

History

The city dates back 2700 years, it is mentioned as Illyrian fortress. The ancient name of Peqin was Claudiana/Clodiana. The city's modern name derives from the Ottoman form ''Bekleyin'', which means a place of hospitality. During Ottoman rule Peqin belonged to the Sanjak of Elbasan. The Ottoman Peqin Castle still exists, along with some original parts of the mosque of Abdurrahman Pasha, who had been the governor of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

(former Bogdania). This castle was also constructed during the

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a contin ...

road being made. On the

road Peqin was another stop on the road and a settlement for soldiers and there were Pashas in the castle. The last remaining resident in the castle was Demir Pasha.

Historic places

* Peqin Castle *

*Orthodox church *Protestant church *Moschue of Peqin

Transport

Bus

There are buses available at the center of the city which run to many places in and out of

Train

There is a train station in the city and trains pass by on the

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

Pogradec Pogradec (,) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a List of settlements on the Lake Ohrid coastline, narrow plain between two mountain ch ...

line.

Highway

There is the SH7 stateroad on the outer city ring of Peqin and starts in Rrogozhinë and ends in Bradashesh, Elbasan.

Sports

The football team of Peqin is KS Shkumbini. The team was founded in 1951 and its home ground is Shkumbini Stadium with a capacity of 9,000 spectators. KS Shkumbini currently plays in the

Albanian Second Division 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 ...

. KS Shkumbini is famous for its fans, called Besnikët, known as Faithful.

Notable people

Mustafa Gjinishi Mustafa Gjinishi (15 January 1912 – 23 August 1944) was an Albanian communist from Peqin, central Albania. He was known for having opposed Enver Hoxha and the Italian invasion of Albania. Mustafa Gjinishi was a known figure fighting for Albani ...

, activist during National Liberation War * Hekuran Isai, post-World War II communist politician *

Gugash Magani Gugash Magani (born 14 March 1965) is an Albanian Association football, football coach and a former player. Club career Magani played the majority of his 22-year professional career with Shkumbini Peqin, while also having stints at other Albania ...

, football player and manager * Murat Manahasa,

veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

researcher and professor * Abdurrahman Pasha, former governor of

and

within Ottoman Empire

References

Municipalities in Elbasan County Administrative units of Peqin Towns in Albania {{Elbasan-geo-stub