Gur i Bardhë ( sq-definite, Guri i Bardhë, in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''White Stone''; also known in the Middle Ages as Petralba) is a village in the municipality of

Klos Klos or KLOS may refer to: *Klos (surname) *Klos, Dibër, a town in eastern Albania ** Harketari Klos KF, a defunct football club based in Klos, Dibër *Klos, Elbasan, a village in central Albania * Klos, Mallakastër, a village in south-central Alb ...

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 ...

History

Gur i Bardhë is a small mountain village that occurs above the Mat Valley. There is still no exact date that corresponds to the establishment of this village, but the few excavations and discoveries that have been made in this village reveal its early existence. Stone working tools that match the time of stone use have been found. Also discovered are many old cemeteries with various symbolic objects and engraved

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

tiles. (in Albanian) Some historians such have connected the name Petralba with

Albanopolis Albanopolis ( sq, Albanopolis or ''Albanët''; grc, Ἀλβανόπολις, Albanópolis) was a city in ancient Roman Macedon specifically in Epirus Nova, the city of the Albanoi, an Illyrian tribe. Albanopolis has been located by various sc ...

, a Roman-era city mentioned by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

. Gur i Bardhë (''Bilakamin'') is recorded in the Ottoman ''

defter A ''defter'' (plural: ''defterler'') was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Description The information collected could vary, but ''tahrir defterleri'' typically included details of villages, dwellings, household ...

'' of 1467 as a '' hass-ı mir-liva'' settlement 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 Mati. The village had a total of 46 households and the anthroponymy attested depicts an Albanian character: ''Andrija Gazi'', ''Peter Limani'', ''Gazi'', ''Gjeç Aleksi'', ''Ishri Buluzi'', ''Dhonabi'' son-in-law of ''Ishri'', ''Gjin Rakizi'', ''Martin Muzaka'', ''Kita Dajxhi'', ''Lesh Çokani'', ''Gjon Puliti'', ''Lazar Thana'', ''Kola Spavali'', ''Gjin Boliti'', ''Gjon Senkuri'', ''Kal Sghuni'', ''Gjergj Bulushi'', ''Andrija Shirgji'', ''Lika Duka'', ''Lazar Bulushi'', '' Mastër Nikolla'', ''Gjin Nikolla'', ''Lal Nikolla'', ''Veske'', ''Lalnikolla'', ''Gjin Spavali'', ''Gjergj Jani'', ''Kal Mizi'', ''Todor Kuprini'', ''Gjin Biza'', ''Peter Skalabra'', ''Gjin Skalabra'', ''Andrija Koçani'', ''Gjin Mirzi'', ''Gjergj Bratisllavi'', ''Peter Boliti'', ''Engjëll Koçani'', ''Gjon Bulushi'', ''Nika Gazi'', ''Gjon Spavali'', ''Peter Lumashi'', ''Nika Gropa'', ''Peter Bulushi'', and ''Gjin Koçani''.

References

Populated places in Mat (municipality) Villages in Dibër County {{Albania-geo-stub