Gusinje ( cyrl, Гусиње, ; sq, Gucia) is a small
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in north-eastern
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of
Gusinje Municipality
Gusinje Municipality ( Montenegrin: ''Opština Gusinje'' / Општина Гусиње; sq, Komuna e Gucisë) is a municipality in eastern Montenegro in the upper Lim valley at an elevation of about . It was created in 2014, when it split from Pl ...
.
Name
Two alternative etymologies have been proposed for the toponym ''Gusinje''. One links it to Slavic ''guska'' (
goose
A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...
), the other to the Illyrian term ''Geusiae'' from which the
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 ...
name of the town, ''Guci(a)'', would have evolved.
In archival records, it has been recorded variably as ''Gousino'' (Гоусино), ''Gustigne'' (1614) in Venetian archives, ''Gusna'' (گوسن) and ''Gusinye'' in Ottoman Turkish.
Geography
The town is located in the Plav-Gusinje area, part of the upper
Lim valley in the
Accursed Mountains
The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...
range at an elevation of 1,014 m.
Zla Kolata
Zla Kolata ( sr-cyrl, Зла Колата; sq, Kollata e Keqe) is one of the highest of the Accursed Mountains, on the border of Montenegro and Albania.
Description
Zla Kolata has an elevation of , making it the highest mountain in Montenegr ...
, the highest mountain in Montenegro about 10 km south of Gusinje in the Prokletije National Park.
Gusinje is on the Vermosh River, which flows eastwards towards
Plav. About 2 km south of Gusinje's center is the source of Vruja creek,
Ali Pasha Ali Pasha was the name of numerous Ottoman pashas named Ali. It is most commonly used to refer to Ali Pasha of Ioannina.
People
* Çandarlı Ali Pasha (died 1406), Ottoman grand vizier (1387–1406)
* Hadım Ali Pasha (died 1511), Ottoman grand v ...
's springs (''Alipašini izvori''/''Krojet e Ali Pashës''). Vruja creek enters the Vermosh east of town, between this confluence and Plav is locally called ''Luca''. Just before the Vermosh reaches Plav it flows into
Lake Plav
Lake Plav ( cnr, Плавско језеро, Plavsko jezero; sq, Liqeni i Plavës) is a lake in Plav municipality, in northeastern Montenegro. . The Vermosh is the first tributary of the
Lim river.
Gusinje is the seat of the municipality of the same name. From 1953 to 2014, it was part of
Plav Municipality
Plav Municipality ( Montenegrin, sq, Komuna e Plavës) is one of the municipalities of Montenegro. The center is Town of Plav. In February 2014, the south-western third of the municipality seceded to form Gusinje Municipality.
Geography
Plav is ...
. In 2014, it became again a distinct municipality. The town's boundaries form ~3.73 km² of the total 157 km² of the municipality. Much of the area of the municipality is mountainous land used in the past for livestock herding.
History
![TuziGucia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/TuziGucia.jpg)
The toponym ''Hotina Gora'' (mountains of Hoti) in the Plav and Gusinje regions on the
Lim river basin in 1330 is the first mention of the Hoti name in historical records in the chrysobulls of Dečani. Šufflay considers this region as the original area of settlement of
Hoti from which they moved southwards.
It is known that a medieval settlement was located in the territory of present-day Gusinje. Gusinje was mentioned as a caravan station on the Ragusa-Cattaro–Scutari–Peć route, in the 14th century.
In historical record, Gusinje appears in 1485 in the defter of the
sanjak of Scutari
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra ( sq, Sanxhaku i Shkodrës; sr, Скадарски санџак; tr, İskenderiye Sancağı or ''İşkodra Sancağı'') was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Otto ...
as a village in the
vilayet
A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...
of Plav, a ''
hass-ı hümayun'' (imperial domain) that stood directly under the Ottoman Sultan. It had 96 households, 21 unmarried men and four widows. This was a big settlement compared to other villages in Montenegro and northern Albania.
In oral tradition, the Nikaj are said to have replaced the Mavriqi when moving in to their modern territory. They were said to have steemed from
Vajush
Vajush is a settlement in the former Gruemirë municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Malësi e Madhe
Malësi e Madhe () is a municipality in Shkodër County, in no ...
near
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 ...
settling in the mountain of Nikaj in the period of 1416-1500. With this most of the Mavriqi emigrated to the area of Gusinje.
![Plav from Air](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Plav_from_Air.jpg)
Gusinje stood at the intersection of the Ottoman trade routes between northern Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. Thus, the trade that passed through Gusinje generated much wealth for the Sultan and the Ottoman officials who were granted taxing rights. This made the trade route a constant target for the Albanian tribal community (''fis'') of
Kelmendi
Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia ( Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Moun ...
, which lived along the route as they were in rebellion against the Ottomans and were plundering their trade routes. Venetian diplomat
Mariano Bolizza
Mariano Bolizza or Marin Bolica (1603 – 27 November 1643) was a nobleman and writer from Cattaro.
Biography
Bolizza was born in Kotor, at the time part of the Republic of Venice (now Montenegro). He studied at the University of Padua and, ha ...
who travelled in the region reported that at the end of 1612 the building of the fortress of Gusinje - near which the modern town developed - was completed.
The location was chosen because it stands at the convergence of pathways from Kelmendi. The original location of the fort was near the village of Grnćar/Gërnçar. Modern Gusinje stands ~6 km to the west and ~10 km to the north of the routes from the Kelmendi mountains (''malet e Kelmendit'') to modern
Sandzak. The surrounding villages to the west and south (
Vusanje
Vusanje ( sq, Vuthaj; cnr, Vusanje/Вусање) is a village in Gusinje Municipality, Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town had 648 inhabitants.
Geography
Vusanje is located within the Plav municipality, below the town of Gusinje. I ...
) are Kelmendi settlements. The fortress was built at the reguest of Sem Zaus, the Ottoman bey of Podgorica who wanted to stop the attacks of Kelmendi and to be able to travel freely in his domain. In 1614, Mariano Bolizza reported that the village had 100 households and a garrison of 237 men under Belo Juvanin.
The fortress was also designed to stop the movement of the
Kuči and
Triepshi tribes in the Upper Lim valley.
In time despite Ottoman expeditions and relocations of these communities in Sandzak, Kelmendi and other tribes like Kuči, Triepshi and
Shala
Shala (Šala) was a Mesopotamian goddess of weather and grain and the wife of the weather god Adad. It is assumed that she originated in northern Mesopotamia and that her name might have Hurrian origin. She was worshiped especially in Karkar an ...
came to form many of the historical neighbourhoods (
mahalla
is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations.
History
Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...
) of Gusinje of today. Their descendants although initially Christian, willingly or forcefully converted to Islam, largely by the middle 18th century. An important family - which later developed into a brotherhood - in the development of Gusinje is that of the Omeragaj (today known as Omeragić) from Shala who appeared in the village in the early 18th century . The different mosques of Gusinje today represent the different brotherhoods that built them. For example, the Cekaj mosque (''Čekića džamija''/''xhamia e Cekajve'') was built by the Cekaj brotherhood from Triepshi in 1687, while the New Mosque built in 1899 is known as ''Radončića'' after the Radončići brotherhood from Kuči. At the beginning of the 18th century, Gusinje was the seat of the local
kadiluk
A kadiluk, in some cases equivalent to a kaza, was a local administrative subdivision of the Ottoman empire, which was the territory of a kadı, or judge.
There could be several kadiluks in a sanjak. The kadı's duties extended beyond those of ...
. In terms of military administration, the captaincy of Gusinje was part of the
Bosnia Eyalet
The Eyalet of Bosnia ( ota, ایالت بوسنه ,Eyālet-i Bōsnâ; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; sh, Bosanski pašaluk), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based o ...
in 1724. Central Ottoman administration collapsed in the decades to come and the
Pashalik of Shkodra
The Pashalik of Scutari, Iskodra, or Shkodra (1757–1831), was an autonomous and ''de facto'' independent ''pashalik'' created by the Albanian Bushati family from the previous Sanjak of Scutari, which was situated around the city of Shkodër ...
emerged as a regional power. The Vezir's mosque, built by
Kara Mahmud Bushati
Kara Mahmud Pasha ( tr, Kara Mahmud Paşa, Albanian: Mahmud Pashë Bushati, 1749–22 September 1796) was a hereditary Ottoman Albanian governor (''mutasarrıf'') of the Pashalik of Scutari and de jure ruler of Albania, belonging to the Otto ...
in 1765 in the town center is a symbol of the Pashalik's influence in the upper Lim valley. Its downfall in 1831 brought back actual Ottoman rule. In 1852, in the register of the
Kosovo Vilayet, Gusinje is recorded with 1,500 households. It was a developing town that had 350 shops, eight
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
s and five mosques. The captaincy of Gusinje in 1869 was part of the
sanjak of Prizren
The Sanjak of Prizren or Priştine ( tr, Prizren Sancağı, sq, Sanxhaku i Prizrenit, sr, Призренски санџак / ''Prizrenski sandžak'') was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was ...
.
The two strongest feudal families in the
Plav-
Gusinje
Gusinje ( cyrl, Гусиње, ; sq, Gucia) is a small town in north-eastern Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality.
Name
Two alternative etymologies h ...
region (~90 km to the northeast of Gruemirë) trace their origin to
Gruemiri
Gruemiri (alternatively, ''Gruemira'') is a small historical Albanian tribes, Albanian tribe (fis) in the former municipality of Gruemirë in the region of Malësia.
Name
Historical and linguistic understanding about the patronym and toponym '' ...
. The Rexhepagaj of
Plav, Montenegro
Plav ( cyrl, Плав; sq, Plavë) is a town in north-eastern Montenegro. It has a population of 3,717 (2011 census). Plav is the centre of Plav Municipality (population of 9,081 following the formation of Gusinje Municipality).
Name
The name ...
(now, Redžepagić-Rexhepagiqi) moved to Plav in the beginning of the 1650s where their ancestor took the Muslim name ''Veli'' when he converted.
Rexhep Aga
Rexhep is an Albanian masculine given name. People bearing the name include:
*Rexhep Pasha Mati (1842–1908), Ottoman marshal, governor, war minister, revolutionary
*Rexhep Demi (1864–1929), member of the Albanian independence movement, polit ...
who gave the name to the family was a great-great-grandson of Veli. The Shabanagaj (now also known as Šabanagić) were related via marriage with the
Bushati family
The Bushati family ( sq, Bushatllinjtë) was a prominent Ottoman Albanian family that ruled the Pashalik of Scutari from 1757 to 1831.
Origins
They are descendants of the medieval Bushati tribe, a pastoralist tribe (''fis'') in northern Albani ...
of
Shkodra. Shaban Aga, their eponymous ancestor was the son-in-law of
Sulejman Pasha Bushati,
sanjakbey
''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' ( ota, سنجاق بك) () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak' ...
of Shkodra. He was sent in Gusinje as the commander of the fortress around 1690. The Shabanagaj family owned large estates in
Berane
Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангр ...
.
Ali Pasha of Gusinje
Ali Pasha Shabanagaj ( Serbian: Али-паша Шабанагић, Ali-paša Šabanagić; 1828 – 5 March 1888), was an Albanian Muslim military commander and one of the leaders of the League of Prizren. He governed, as an Ottoman ''kaymakam ...
, commander of 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 ...
was a Shabanagaj
and
Jashar Rexhepagiq
Jashar Rexhepagiq ( sh, Jašar Redžepagić; 1929–2010) was an Yugoslav Albanian and Kosovar scholar and writer. Jashar Rexhepagiq was born in Plav in Montenegro and went to school in Berane and Peja. He studied education at the University of ...
, pedagogue in Kosovo, was a Rexhepagaj.
As the Ottoman Empire disintegrated in the long 19th century already in the
Treaty of San Stefano
The 1878 Treaty of San Stefano (russian: Сан-Стефанский мир; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-187 ...
, Gusinje and Plav were awarded to the independent
Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...
. Gusinje was developing as a commercial town at the time, but still remained outside properly established rule of Ottoman law. Gun ownership was widespread and Ottoman rule was difficult to enforce. This environment allowed for the existence of an effective resistance against annexation. The Albanians of Gusinje opposed the decisions of the treaty and sent telegrams of protest to the embassies of the
Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
. In the
Congress of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...
and
its final treaty those decisions were finalized. The Albanians in the two regions reacted against the final decision in favor annexation and formed 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 ...
.
A noted figure of the League of Prizren was
Ali Pasha Shabanagaj, a landowner and military commander from Gusinje. In the ensuing
Battle of Novšiće
The Battle of Novšiće ( sr, Boj na Novšiću/Бој на Новшићу; Bitka na Novšićima/Битка на Новшићима, sq, Beteja e Nokshiqit) was a battle for control over Plav and Gusinje fought on 4 December 1879 between the for ...
the League of Prizren led by Shabanagaj defeated the approaching Montenegrin forces led by
Marko Miljanov
Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer.
He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Monteneg ...
. More than 140 dead and wounded of the ~300 casualties of the League of Prizren in the battle were from Gusinje. Ismail Omeraga, was a leading commander of the Gusinje volunteers who died in the battles for the defense of Plav-Gusinje. His head was carried back in
Cetinje
Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...
, capital of Montenegro. Reports after the battle claim that the victors carried into the town 60 heads from their defeated foes. The annexation was effectively stopped and the Great Powers began another round of negotiations which eventually led to
Ulcinj
Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...
's annexation by Montenegro as compensation. The battle became a point of reference in the
Albanian National Awakening
The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...
and set a precedent about the need of armed struggle to defend other areas. Although the battle took place near Novšiće which is ~4 km to the north of Plav, in the Ottoman press of the time it became known as ''Gusinye hadisesi'' (Gusinye Incident) because of its crucial role in the struggle.
In 1893, Gusinje had 1,600 households, 5 mosques and 240 shops.
The districts were part of the
Sanjak of Novi Pazar
The Sanjak of Novi Pazar ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Novopazarski sandžak, Новопазарски санџак; tr, Yeni Pazar sancağı) was an Ottoman sanjak (second-level administrative unit) that was created in 1865. It was reorganized in 1880 and ...
of the
Kosovo Vilayet until October 1912 (de jure, until 1913). The Montenegrin army captured the region and entered Plav on 19 October and 20 October. Its entry was followed by a
period of harsh military administration which until March 1913 had caused up to more than 1,800 killings of locals and 12,000 forced conversions to Christian Orthodoxy.
In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, Gusinje became a subject of dispute between newly independent Albania and Montenegro.
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyr, Никола I Петровић-Његош; – 1 March 1921) was the last monarch of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as prince from 1860 to 1910 and as the country's first and only king from 1910 to 19 ...
in the
London Peace Conference asked for the region of
Kelmendi
Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia ( Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Moun ...
as otherwise communication between the capital of
Podgorica
Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
and the new eastern provinces of Montenegro would be blocked. As Kelmendi finally became part of Albania, Gusinje was given to Montenegro with the provision that the people of Kelmendi would have free passage to the town. About 2000 Albanian refugees from Gusinje and Plav were reported in Shkodra in 1913 by the director of the Red Cross which was stationed in the city. The beginning of WWI in practice stopped the implementation of any agreement. In 1919, the decision was reaffirmed but the border was closed. In Albania, the closing of the border between
Malësia
Malësia e Madhe ("Great Highlands"), known simply as Malësia ( sq, Malësia, cnr, / ), is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania and eastern central Montenegro corresponding to the highlands of the geographical subdivision ...
and Gusinje has been seen as a main cause for the interwar impoverishment of areas like Kelmendi and
Shala
Shala (Šala) was a Mesopotamian goddess of weather and grain and the wife of the weather god Adad. It is assumed that she originated in northern Mesopotamia and that her name might have Hurrian origin. She was worshiped especially in Karkar an ...
, which were deprived from access to their traditional market town.
The entry of the Montenegrin army in 1912-13 and the Yugoslav army after 1919 in Gusinje was accompanied by repressive policies against the local population.In 1919, an Albanian revolt, which later came to be known as the ''Plav rebellion'' rose up in the Plav, Gusinje and Rozaje districts, fighting against the inclusion of
Sandzak in the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
. As a result, during the Serbian army's second occupation of Gusinje, which took place in 1919, Serb forces attacked Albanian populations in Plav and Gusinje, which had appealed to the British government for protection. About 450 local civilians were killed after the uprising was quelled. These events resulted in a large influx of Albanians migrating to
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 ...
. These events remain a matter of dispute in modern Montenegrin politics. In 2013, the President of Montenegro
Filip Vujanović
Filip Vujanović (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Филип Вујановић, ; born 1 September 1954) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2003 to 2018.
Early life and career
Born and raised in Belgrade, Vujanov ...
made one of the first direct acknowledgments of the events in Montenegrin politics in a ceremony in
Berane
Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангр ...
where he declared that ''the crimes performed in Plav and Gusinje are the dark side of the Montenegrin history''.
Gusinje became part of Albania in WWII by Fascist Italy and then Nazi Germany to win the support of the local population. After the war, the 1913 borders were reaffirmed. Gusinje's status as a distinct municipality was revoked in 1953. Along with other reasons it fueled immigration and impoverishment in the town and the municipality. In 2014, Gusinje regained its municipal status.
Dialect
Gusinje is almost entirely Muslim and either Albanian-speaking or Slavic-speaking. The Slavic dialect of Gusinje and Plav shows very high structural influence from Albanian. Its uniqueness in terms of language contact between Albanian and Slavic is explained by the fact that most Slavic-speakers in today's Gusinje are of Albanian origin, representing a case of an Albanian-speaking population shifting to a Slavic-speaking one.
Monuments
![Gusinje](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Gusinje.jpg)
In Gusinje there are a number of the historical mosques of Montenegro. The oldest preserved mosque in the town is Čekića džamija or xhamia e Cekajve built by the Cekaj brotherhood of Triepshi. The second oldest is the Vezir's mosque (vezirova džamija/xhamia e vezirit) built by
Kara Mahmud Bushati
Kara Mahmud Pasha ( tr, Kara Mahmud Paşa, Albanian: Mahmud Pashë Bushati, 1749–22 September 1796) was a hereditary Ottoman Albanian governor (''mutasarrıf'') of the Pashalik of Scutari and de jure ruler of Albania, belonging to the Otto ...
in 1765 on the existing site of another mosque originally built in 1626. The New Mosque (nova džamija/xhamia e re) also known as Radončića was built by the Radončići brotherhood of Kući in 1899. There are also a number of mosques whose ruins only remain today. The mosque of Sultan
Ahmed I
Ahmed I ( ota, احمد اول '; tr, I. Ahmed; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal f ...
was built during his reign between 1603 and 1617. It was burnt in 1746-47. Another ruined mosque is that built by the Gjylbegaj family (a branch of the
Begolli family). It was built in 1833.
Demographics
Since 1913, Gusinje has experienced many waves of immigration in the 20th century. These have depopulated it as a result in the 21st century. The municipality of Gusinje reports that 18,400 people trace their origins to the town of Gusinje out of a total diaspora of ~30,000 from the Gusinje area. They mostly live in the US.
Sports
The local football team is
FK Gusinje
FK Gusinje is a Montenegrin football club based in the town of Gusinje. It was established in 1933. The club currently plays in the Montenegrin Third League.
History
Football club in Gusinje was founded in 1933, under the name ''Sokolsko druš ...
, who play in the country's
third tier. They play their home games at the
City Stadium. The town's basketball team is
KK Stršljen.
Notable people
*
Ismail Nikoçi, mayor of Gusinje
*
Ali Pasha of Gucia
Ali Pasha Shabanagaj ( Serbian: Али-паша Шабанагић, Ali-paša Šabanagić; 1828 – 5 March 1888), was an Albanian Muslim military commander and one of the leaders of the League of Prizren. He governed, as an Ottoman ''kaymaka ...
, Albanian military commander, leader of 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 ...
*
Rexho Mulliqi
Rexho Mulliqi ( sq, Rexho Mulliqi, sh, Redžo Mulić/Реџо Мулић; 18 March 1923 – 25 February 1982) was a Yugoslavian composer from Montenegro and husband of singer Nexhmije Pagarusha.
He was born in Gusinje, Kingdom of Serbs, Cro ...
, Albanian composer
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Dženan Radončić
Dženan Radončić ( Cyrillic: Џенан Радончић; born 2 August 1983) is a Montenegrin retired footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
In June 2003, Radončić was transferred from Rudar Pljevlja to Partizan on a four-year co ...
, Montenegrin footballer
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Fahrudin Radončić
Fahrudin Radončić (; born 24 May 1957) is a Bosnian media magnate, entrepreneur, investor, and politician who served as the Minister of Security on two occasions. He is the founder of the ''Dnevni avaz,'' the best-selling newspaper in Bosnia an ...
, businessman and politician
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Ramo Kolenović, kayaker
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Dino Radončić
Dino Radončić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Дино Радончић; born 8 January 1999) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player of Basketball Bundesliga and EuroLeague team FC Bayern Munich (basketball), Bayern Munich.
Early life
Rado ...
, basketball player
Twin towns – Sister cities
Gusinje is
twinned with:
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Peja
Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mount ...
,
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 ...
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
Sandžak
Populated places in Gusinje Municipality
Albanian ethnographic regions