Frashër (; sq-definite, Frashëri; rup, Farshar) is a village and a former municipality in the

Gjirokastër County Gjirokastër County ( sq, Qarku i Gjirokastrës) is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The total population in 2021 was 58,031, in an area of 2884 km². Its capital is the city Gjirokastër. Administrative divisions Until 2000, Gjirokastër ...

, southern

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 and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet. The population at the 2011 census was 387. The municipal unit consists of the villages Frashër, Zavalan, Ogren-Kostrec, Gostivisht, Miçan, Vërçisht, Kreshovë and Soropull. Frashër is widely regarded as the 'Mecca' of Albania and is known for the disproportionate number of prominent intellectuals it has produced - especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Name

The name of the settlement means " ash-tree" in

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 ...

. The word '' frashër'' (

Gheg Albanian Gheg (also spelled Geg; Gheg Albanian: ''gegnishtja'', Standard sq, gegërishtja) is one of the two major variety (linguistics), varieties of Albanian language, Albanian, the other being Tosk Albanian, Tosk. The geographic dividing line betwee ...

: ''frashën'') derives from the Proto-Albanian rendering of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

fraxinus ''Fraxinus'' (), common name, commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of Subtropics, subtropic ...

''. The settlement represents an inhabited centre that was founded after the Roman period of the Albanian language. It is said that the Frashër area has been covered with ash forests, which disappeared over time. The Aromanian name of the settlement is .

History

The first documented attestation of Frashëri probably comes in the form of an Albanian merchant from Frashër who had traveled to Thessaloniki in 1330. The Frashër area in the Middle Ages was the source of several waves of migrations of

Aromanians The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Alba ...

throughout the southern and central Balkans. The Aromanian dialect of the area of Frashër is known as , and today constitutes one of the main subgroups of Aromanians, divided strictly along linguistic (dialectal) differences. In 1432 the village was documented as ''Fracili'' in the Ottoman defter of the sanjak of

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...

- Përmet. The defter documented six households in Frashër at the time. The next defter to document Frashër is that of 1504. The village had 41 households, 40 of whom were Christian. The heads of households from which the major ''vëllazëri'' (brotherhoods) of Frashër would form in the 17th century include Dedë Duka, Dukë Kryeziu, Uk Deda, Gjon Deda, Martin Bardhi, Deskë Gjini, Dedë Gjini, Kozma Shurbi, Kolë Shurbi, Bendo Shurbi, Gjon Gjoni, Llazër Gjoni and others. In June 1880 the Second Assembly of Frashër was organised by the League of Prizren. Ottoman Albanian spahis and landowners from nineteenth century Frashër owned estate properties ( chiftlik) in parts of the Balkans and in particular the Thessalian plain, until its loss to Greece in 1881 leading to local economic decline and increasing reliance on agriculture. In 1914 the Tekke of Frashër, a 133 year-old Bektashi shrine and a center of Albanian Nationalism in the area, was destroyed by the Greek rebels of Georgios Christakis-Zografos,Teqeja e Frashërit - Vatër e zjarrtë (in Albanian), World Bektashi Headquarters
but was reconstructed with the contribution of

Albanian-Americans Albanian Americans ( sq, shqiptaro-amerikanët) are Americans of full or partial Albanian ancestry and heritage in the United States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the Balkans among others to ...

in 1923.

Notable people

Dalip Frashëri use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Konitsa, Ottoman Empire , death_cause = , nationality = , other_names = Hyxhretiu ...

, 19th-century poet *

Shahin Frashëri Shahin Frashëri was an Albanian bejtexhi of the 19th century. His ''Mukhtarnameh'' poem is one of the longest and earliest epics in Albanian literature. Life and work Shahin (Shahinin) Kaso Frashëri was born in Frashër, today's Përmet District ...

, 19th-century poet *

Abdyl Frashëri Abdyl Dume bey Frashëri ( tr, Fraşerli Abdül Bey; 1 June 1839 – 23 October 1892) was an Ottoman Albanian civil servant, politician during the First Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire, and one of the first Albanian political ideologues ...

, Albanian politician and national hero *

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, rilindas and translator who was proclaimed as the national poet of Albania. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern ...

, Albanian national poet and national hero * Sami Frashëri, Albanian writer and national hero *

Mid'hat Frashëri Mid'hat Bey Frashëri (also known by his pen name as Lumo Skëndo; tr, Fraşerli Mithat Bey; 25 March 1880 – 3 October 1949) was an Albanian diplomat, writer and politician. The son of Abdyl Frashëri, one of the most important activists ...

, Albanian politician, diplomat and intellectual * Mihal Zallari, Chairman of the assembly of Albania, historian and journalist * Fehim Zavalani, Albanian journalist * Mehdi Frashëri, Prime Minister of Albania

References

Bibliography

* * Former municipalities in Gjirokastër County Aromanian settlements in Albania Administrative units of Përmet Villages in Gjirokastër County {{Gjirokastër-geo-stub sq:Frashëri (Përmet)