Starje is a village in the

Korçë County Korçë County ( sq, Qarku Korçë, italic=unset), officially the County of Korçë ( sq, Qarku i Korçës, italic=unset), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the largest by area and the seventh most populous of ...

in southeastern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality

Kolonjë Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat o ...

. Originally the name was ''Plakas'' meaning ''old'' in Albanian. The village's population religiously belongs to the

Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

order while there are also some Orthodox Christians. It is situated at the foot of the

Gramos Gramos ( sq, Gramoz, Mali i Gramozit; rup, Gramosta, Gramusta; el, Γράμος or Γράμμος) is a mountain range on the border of Albania and Greece. The mountain is part of the northern Pindus mountain range. Its highest peak, at the ...

mountains, about 2 km northeast of

Ersekë Ersekë ( sq-definite, Erseka), is a town and a former municipality in southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Kolonjë. Founded in the 17th century, Erseka was the seat of ...

, and is within walking distance to Albanian-Greek border. The highest peak of Gramos mountain Çuka e Peçit 2,523 m (8,278 ft) is located not far from the village. The alpine

Lake Gistova Lake Gistova, also known as Lake Gkistova ( al, Liqeni i Gramozit, el, Λίμνη Γκιστόβα), is an alpine lake on the Albania-Greece border. It is the highest lake in Greece. It is located at an elevation of about , on the Gramos mounta ...

is located at an altitude of 2,375 m, on the Albanian-Greek border.
The village is located close to the Llazishta forest, which is known as a holy forest for the

faith believers of the region.

Osum The Osum is a river in southern Albania, one of the source rivers of the Seman. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . Its source is in the southwestern part of the Korçë County, near the village Vithkuq at an altit ...

, one of the largest rivers of Albania starts here. Osum flows into the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, 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) ...

Notable people

Xhafer Ypi Xhafer bey Ypi ( January 12, 1880, Starje – December 17, 1940) was an Albanian politician. A member of the Ypi dynasty of Albania, he was educated at a university in Istanbul. In 1920–1921 he was Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Ju ...

, former

Prime Minister of Albania The Prime Minister of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and the mo ...

* Petrit Dume, member of the

Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania The Politburo was the leading organ of the Party of Labour of Albania. It comprised key government ministers and Central Committee secretaries and served as the main administrative and policy-making body, convening on a weekly basis. The following ...

* Hasan Zyko Kamberi, one of the most famous Albanian poets of eighteenth century. *

Shahin Kolonja Shahin bey Kolonja ( tr, Şahin Teki Kolonya; 1865–1919) was an Albanian journalist, politician, and member of the Ottoman Parliament during its Second Constitutional Era. Life Shahin Kolonja was born in Starje, Ottoman Empire, today's southern ...

, publisher of '' Drita'' magazine in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

, and member of the commission for the Albanian alphabet in the Congress of Monastir which decided the

Albanian alphabet The Albanian alphabet ( sq, alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters: ''Note:'' The vowels are shown in bold. The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë ...

in 1908. * Sali Njazi Dede, born in 1876 in Starje leader of World Bektashi Order

Bektashism The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led b ...

based in

Haji Bektash Haji Bektash Veli or Wali ( fa, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Ḥājī Baktāš Walī; ota, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli; sq, Haxhi Bektash Veliu) (1209 – 1271) was a Muslim mystic, saint, Sayyid and philosopher from ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, reelected when World Headquarters of Bektashi Order moved to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

in 1929. *

Haki Laho Haki, Hake (Old Norse: ) or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century ''Gesta Danorum'', and in 13th-century sources including ''Ynglinga saga'', ''Nafnaþulur'', and ...

, born in Starje, a doctor in the United States. * Ali Laho, born in Starje. Mayor of

from year 2011 to 2015 ( PS). :sq:Bashkia Ersekë

References

{{Kolonjë div Populated places in Kolonjë, Korçë Villages in Korçë County