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Bajazid Elmaz Doda (1888–1933) was an
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 ...
ethnographic writer and photographer. He is the author of the book ''Albanisches Bauerleben im oberen Rekatal bei Dibra (Makedonien) (Albanian Peasant Life in the Upper Reka Valley near Dibra (Macedonia))'', written in Vienna in 1914, as well as of numerous rare early-20th-century photos of Albanian-inhabited lands during the period when they belonged to the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, especially of
Upper Reka Upper Reka ( mk, Горна Река, Gorna Reka; ), meaning "Upper river", is a geographic and ethnographic subregion of the broader Reka region of western North Macedonia, including settlements within the upper left portion of the Municipali ...
, his birthplace region. The fossil turtle species '' Kallokibotion bajazidi'' was named after him by his lover
Franz Nopcsa Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
.


Life

Bajazid Doda was born in 1888 in Štirovica, an Albanian-inhabited village of the
Upper Reka Upper Reka ( mk, Горна Река, Gorna Reka; ), meaning "Upper river", is a geographic and ethnographic subregion of the broader Reka region of western North Macedonia, including settlements within the upper left portion of the Municipali ...
region of Macedonia in what was then the Ottoman Empire. He went to
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
to work abroad, like many other Upper Reka inhabitants. 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 of ...
, Romania, in 1906 he met the Hungarian baron and scholar
Franz Nopcsa Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
(1877–1933), who hired him as his servant. The two became lovers and began to live together. Nopcsa and Doda left Bucharest for the Nopcsa family mansion in Săcel,
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, and thereafter spent some several months in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where Doda fell ill with influenza. In mid-November 1907 the two traveled to
Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
, where they maintained a house from 1907 to 1910 and again from October 1913. They travelled around
Mirditë Mirditë ( sq-definite, Mirdita) is a municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh, Rrëshen, Rubik and Selitë. The seat of the municipa ...
and were kidnapped by a famous bandit Mustafa Lita. After their release in
Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...
, they travelled to
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
and went to visit the home of Doda in Upper Reka. Back in Shkodër, they went and visited the lands of tribes Hoti and Gruda. Both traveled together and separately throughout the Albanian lands. During the First World War in 1915–1916, Nopcsa took Doda with him while serving in the Austro-Hungarian army in Kosovo. After the war, they lived mainly in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
where Nopcsa published several books and became known not only as an albanologist, but also as a
paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
and
geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
. However, for about three years they went on a tour through Europe on a motorcycle, looking for fossils. On April 25, 1933, suffering from depression Nopcsa killed Doda in his sleep and then committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
.


Photographic and literary works

Doda is author of the book ''Albanisches Bauerleben im oberen Rekatal bei Dibra (Makedonien)(Albanian Peasant Life in the Upper Reka Valley near Dibra (Macedonia))'', which was completed in Vienna in April 1914 and was published posthumously in Vienna 2007, after being rediscovered within the archives. The publication is accompanied by original photographs taken by Doda during 1907 consisting mainly of village Štirovica and its surroundings, along with two accompanying photographs of Skopje. The book by Doda contains much valuable information about Upper Reka and its culture, customs, language and other facets of life. The book's aim, according to the author was to describe the vanishing lifestyle of the Muslim element in Upper River and to refute claims by
Spiridon Gopčević Spiridon Gopčević (junior), pen name Leo Brenner ( sr-cyr, Спиридон Гопчевић; 9 July 1855 – 1928) was a Serbs, Serbian-Austrian Empire, Austrian astronomer and historian born in Trieste. Life He was named after his father, Spi ...
in his book ''Macedonia and Old Serbia'' (1889) about Upper Reka Albanians being ''albanicised Slavs''.
Robert Elsie Robert Elsie (June 29, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was a Canadian-born German scholar who specialized in Albanian literature and folklore. Elsie was a writer, translator, interpreter, and specialist in Albanian studies, being the author of numerou ...
stated that the original script, regarded as lost may have been translated into German by Nopcsa (and or with considerable input by him) from Albanian, due to the amount of Albanian vocabulary it contained. Elsie has praised the book for its detailed information on Upper Reka and because it was composed at a time when little Albanian literature had been produced. Elsie contends that the work was the first to employ the Upper Reka Albanian dialect in literature. "Das in der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek aufbewahrte Typoskript, ''Albanisches Bauernleben im Oberen Rekatal'', wurde von seinem damals sechsundzwanzigjährigen Verfasser in Wien im April 1914 fertiggestellt aber nie veröffentlicht. Aus dem Vorwort des Verfassers geht hervor, dass der Text von Nopcsa ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde. Da die deutsche Fassung starke Ähnlichkeiten mit anderen ethnographischen Werken Nopcsas aufweist, kann man davon ausgehen, dass dieser bei der Gestaltung des Manuskriptes seinen Einfluss zur Geltung brachte. Dies wird insbesondere in den vielen in Nopcsas Schrift verfassten Ergänzungen und Korrekturen ersichtlich. Wenn es eine albanischsprachige Urfassung des Werkes gab, so muss sie nun als verschollen gelten. ''Albanisches Bauernleben im Oberen Rekatal'' wurde zu einer Zeit geschrieben, als es für die albanische Sprache, und um so mehr für die nun ausgestorbene albanische Mundart von Reka, keine allgemein anerkannte Schreibweise gab. Die in dem Text zahlreich vorkommenden albanischen Worte und Ortsbezeichnungen wurden von Doda und Nopcsa daher in deutscher Umschrift angegeben – und zwar nicht immer auf sehr konsequenter Weise -, und werden hier in gedruckter Form nach einigen Anpassungen wie im Original gelassen. Der des Albanischen mächtigen Leser dürfte mit der Umschrift keine allzu große Schwierigkeiten haben. Die vorliegende Studie enthält eine Fülle von Angaben und Informationen aus den verschiedensten Bereichen und wird daher in vielen Fachgebieten Interesse wecken und Verwendung finden. Darüber hinaus dürfte sie die frühste in deutscher Sprache von einem Albaner verfasste Studie zur Ethnographie sein. Allein aus diesem Grund ist es uns eine besondere Freude, das Werk Albanisches Bauernleben im oberen Rekatal nach so vielen Jahren dem Publikum vorstellen zu dürfen. [Preserved in the Austrian National Library the typescript, Albanian peasant life in the Upper Reka, was created by his then twenty-six year old writer in Vienna in April 1914 completed, but never released. From the preface of the author shows that the text of Nopcsa was translated into German. Since the German version has strong similarities with other ethnographic works of Nopcsa, one can assume that this brought his advantageous influence in shaping the manuscript. This is particularly evident in the many font additions and corrections written in by Nopcsa. If there was an Albanian-language original version of the work, it must now be regarded as lost. Albanian peasant life in Upper Reka was written at a time when there was no generally accepted notation for the Albanian language, and more so for the now extinct dialect of Albanian Reka. In the text the numerous occurring Albanian words and place names were therefore given by Doda and Nopcsa in German transliteration – not always in a very consistent manner – calmly, and be here in printed form after some adjustments to the original. The majority of Albanian readers should not have too much difficulty with the inscription. The present study contains a wealth of data and information from different sectors and will therefore arouse interest in many fields and can be used. The present study contains a wealth of data and information from different areas and will therefore arouse interest in many fields and can be used. Moreover, it is likely to be the earliest ethnography in German by an Albanian who wrote the study. For this reason alone it is to be allowed special treatment, the work Albanian peasant life in the upper Reka, after so many years by the audience.]" Other scholars like Andrea Pieroni describe the work as a “very detailed ethnographic account” that includes “important notes concerning local food and medicinal plant uses” about research of the Upper Reka region.


Gallery

File:Maqedoni. Një salepçi shqiptar në Shkup.jpg, An Albanian salep merchant in Skopje, 1907 File:Maqedoni. Hallvaxhinj shqiptarë në Shkup.jpg, Albanian halva merchants in Skopje, 1907 File:Majtas një burrë nga Reçi dhe djathtas një burrë nga Shtrezmiri.jpg, Two Upper Reka men: A man from Reč on the left and a man from Strezimir on the right. File:Maqedoni. Ardhja e krushqëve në Shtirovicë.jpg, Arrival of a wedding party in Štirovica. File:Maqedoni. Dy të rinj të Shtirovicës duke treguar opingat e tyre.jpg, Two young men of Štirovica showing off ''opingas'' (leather skin footwear). File:Maqedoni. Një burrë duke pirë duhan në Rekën e Epërme pranë Dibrës.jpg, Man smoking, in the upper Reka valley near Debar. File:Maqedoni. Një shqiptar ditën pas martesës.jpg, An Albanian groom one day after his marriage. File:Maqedoni. Shqiptar i ri në Rekën e Epërme pranë Dibrës.jpg, Young Albanian in the upper Reka valley near Debar. File:Maqedoni. Shqiptarë në Rekën e Epërme pranë Dibrës.jpg, Albanians in the Upper Reka valley near Debar. File:Kukja vo Brodec, GV -1907.jpg, New house in Brodec, 1907 File:Brodec, GV -1907.jpg, Brodec village, 1907 File:Štirovica-1907.jpg, Štirovica village, 1907 File:Albanec od Gorna Reka.jpg, Albanian in from Upper Reka valley near Debar, 1907 File:Doda nb902075b.jpg, Shepherd in a sheepskin cloak with some men from Štirovica, 1907 File:Štirovičani-1907.jpg, Men of Štirovica conversing on a hillside, 1907 File:Gornorekanska albanska svadba-1907.jpg, Wedding party in the mountains of Upper Reka, 1907 File:Doda nb902076b.jpg, Turkish gendarmerie in Upper Reka, 1907


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doda, Bajazid 1888 births 1933 deaths Albanians in North Macedonia Albanian photographers Albanian ethnographers Gay writers Gay artists People from Gostivar Municipality 20th-century Albanian scientists Albanian LGBT people Albanian murder victims Albanian people murdered abroad