![Gollak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Gollak.png)
Gollak ( sq-definite, Gollaku, sr, Гољак, Goljak) or Gallap ( sq-definite, Gallapi) is a mountainous and ethnographic region in the eastern part of
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
and partially in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
, bordering the
Llap region to the North, the
Kosovo field to the west, the
Anamorava valley to the south and straddling along the border with Serbia. The cities of
Prishtina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
and
Gjilan
Gjilan, or Gnjilane ( sr-cyr, Гњилане) is the eighth largest city in Kosovo and seat of Gjilan Municipality and Gjilan District.
Name
Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi mentions ''Morava'' as a settlement of the Sanjak of Vučitrn. ...
in Kosovo are located by the mountains. The highest peak, ''Gollak-Lisica'', has an elevation of above sea level. Gollak itself is split into Upper Gollak and Lower Gollak.
Etymology
The toponym Gallapi is connected to the ancient
Dardanian tribe
Galabri The Galabri (Ancient Greek: Γαλάβριοι) were a Dardanian tribe, along with the Thunatae, mentioned by Strabo.; .
Name
The tribe is mentioned by Ancient Greek author Strabo in his '' Geographica'' as ''Galabrioi''. The tribal name ''Ga ...
.
Environment
The Gollak region consists mainly of forests and pastures, and the altitudes vary between 800m-1260m above sea level. The climate of the region is influenced by continental air masses, and so Gollak has cold winters and hot summers. The temperature averages at 12.6 degrees Celsius, and the average sub-zero temperature stands at -5.8 degrees Celsius. Gollak's total annual precipitation is 667mm/year. There is a diverse range of flora and vegetation due to the diversity present within the climate, the mountainous environment and the compositions of both soil and geology in the region - the variance between altitudes and the variation of other ecological factors have culminated in different vegetation zones upon Gollak's vertical profile, which is characterised by forest and herbaceous plant communities.
There was an
ethnobotanical
Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...
field study conducted in 37 villages of the Gollak region that focused on the traditional uses of
medicinal plants, wild food plants and mushrooms. In total, 66 elderly members of these villages were interviewed - from this information, it was discovered that 98
taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
(belonging to 47 different
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
) are utilized in the traditional medicines and foods of the region. These taxa included 92
angiosperms
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants ...
(of which 76 are
dicotyledonous and 6
monocotyledon
Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...
s), 6 mushroom species and 3
gymnosperms, with the predominant families being
rosaceae,
asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
,
lamiaceae and
alliaceae
Allioideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, order Asparagales. It was formerly treated as a separate family, Alliaceae. The subfamily name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, '' Allium'' ...
. Approximately two thirds of the medicinal species recorded were wild. The majority of the wild plants collected within the Gollak region are used for medicinal purposes, whilst 16% were used for food and some other taxa were gathered to be sold at local markets. The most frequent medical problems targeted by these medicinal plants were
respiratory system
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies ...
illnesses,
skin inflammations and
gastrointestinal
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
troubles.
History
Ottoman Period
In the 15th century the Albanian toponym ''Guribard'' was recorded in the region, which indicates an Albanian presence. Gollak at the time was located in the
Sanjak of Vučitrn
Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ)
* Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province")
* Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region")
* el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
. In the may of 1834 there was an Albanian revolt in Gollak. In the 1877-1878
expulsion
Expulsion or expelled may refer to:
General
* Deportation
* Ejection (sports)
* Eviction
* Exile
* Expeller pressing
* Expulsion (education)
* Expulsion from the United States Congress
* Extradition
* Forced migration
* Ostracism
* Persona non ...
of the Albanians from the
Sanjak of Niš
The Sanjak of Niš ( Turkish: Niş Sancağı; Serbian: Нишки санџак, romanized: ''Niški Sandžak''; Albanian: Sanxhaku i Nishit; Bulgarian: Нишки санджак, romanized: ''Nishki sandzhak'') was one of the sanjaks of the Ot ...
, many
muhaxhirs settled in Gollak. During the
League of Prizren
The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...
there were revolts in Gollak, notably the
Battle of Slivova
The Battle of Slivova was a battle fought between the Albanian League of Prizren and the Ottoman Empire in the vicinities of the villages of Slivovë and Koshare near modern-day Ferizaj, Kosovo, between 16 and 20 April 1881.
Background
Aft ...
occurred at the time. It was one of the regions that had a strong role in the theme of Albanian independence and was a vital part of its foundation. Gollak and Llap rebelled against the Ottomans in the
Albanian revolt of 1910 with 10,000 men. In the
Albanian revolt of 1912, 12,000
Albanian rebels gathered outside of
Prishtina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
in order to occupy the town. Within this group were Albanians from the district of Prishtina, led by
Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini (; 15 January 186423 or 24 January 1916) was an Albanian revolutionary commander and politician and rilindas from Kosovo.
As a young man, he joined the Albanian nationalist League of Prizren and participated in a battle against Ot ...
, Xhemal bey Prishtina and Beqir aga Vushtrria, and they had previously defeated the Ottoman Turks in
Llap and Gollak.
Idriz Seferi
Idriz Seferi (14 March 1847 – 25 March 1927) was an Albanian leader and guerrilla fighter (rebel). A member of the League of Prizren and League of Peja, he was the right-hand man of Isa Boletini, with whom he organized the 1910 Uprising agai ...
saw much action in the Gollak region.
Yugoslav period
In 1920 and 1921 there were Albanian revolts in the region of Gollak.
World War
During the
German occupation of Kosovo in World War II, three Albanian villages were burnt down by German forces on 3 May 1941.
Demographics
There are around 70 villages in Gollak. It mainly consists of small rural settlements. Albanians form the dominant ethnic group in the region. Both Upper and Lower Gollak contain the main villages of the Albanian
Krasniqi
Krasniqi is a historical Albanian tribe and region in the Accursed Mountains in northeastern Albania, bordering Kosovo. The region lies within the Tropojë District and is part of a wider area between Albania and Kosovo that is historically k ...
tribe within the vicinity of
Prishtina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
, and they form the dominant tribe in the region.
Culture
As any ethnographic region, Gollak has unique aspects in both culture and language. Certain words - such as ''Lavesh-i'' (the extreme ends of the tirq), ''Mashali-a'' (an old type of gun) and ''Toja e opangës'' (laces made of wool to tie up opinga) - are found only within the Gollak region.
Notable people
*
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa (; born 15 May 1951) is a retired Kosovar politician. Mustafa was the mayor of Pristina from December 2007 to December 2013 and served as the prime minister of Kosovo between December 2014 and September 2017. He was the leader of the D ...
, Kosovo Albanian politician
*
Rrahim Beqiri, KLA commander
*
Zahir Pajaziti, KLA commander
*
Behgjet Pacolli
Behgjet Isa Pacolli ; sh, Behđet Isa Pacoli. (born 30 August 1951) is a Kosovar Albanian politician and businessman who served as the first deputy prime minister of Kosovo and minister of foreign affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the Ramush Hara ...
, Kosovo Albanian politician and businessman
*
Ismet Asllani, KLA commander
*
Ajet Sopi Bllata
Ajet Sopi Bllata (1861–1938) was an Albanian rebel from the village of Jabllanica, in present-day Bujanovac municipality, then part of the Ottoman Empire. From the age of 17 to that of 53, he fought as a kachak against Serbian interests in t ...
, Albanian rebel
*
Zenel Hajdini, Albanian partisan
*
Demir Krasniqi, Albanian musician
*
Bilall Syla, KLA commander
*
Idriz Ajeti, Albanologist
*
Nuhi Berisha, Albanian revolutionary of the LRSHJ
*
Salih Mustafa
Salih Mustafa also known by the nickname "Cali", (born 1 January 1972) is a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war commander from the Guerilla BIA unit, the former intelligence chief of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF). In 2022, he was convict ...
, Albanian War Commander of the KLA
*
Selim Pacolli, Albanian politician and KLA war soldier
*
Haki Demolli
Haki Demolli (born February 17, 1963) is a Kosovo Albanian politician, lawyer, and professor. He served as the Minister of the Kosovo Security Force from 2014 to 2017 and as Kosovo's Minister of Justice in 2010.
Early life
Haki Demolli was b ...
, an Albanian politician, lawyer and professor and was the Minister of the Kosovo Security Force
Annotations
References
{{Kosovo topics
Kosovo–Serbia border
Geographical regions of Kosovo
Rhodope mountain range
Kosovo Ethnographic Regions
Albanian ethnographic regions