The following are notable people who were either born, raised or have lived for a significant period of time in Gjakova.

List

Amir Abrashi Amir Malush Abrashi (born 27 March 1990) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss club Grasshoppers and the Albania national team. Club career Early career Abrashi was born in Bischofszell, Switzerl ...

, Albanian footballer *

Fehmi Agani Fehmi Agani (23 January 1932 – 6 May 1999) was a sociologist and politician in Kosovo who was considered to be the leading thinker and political strategist of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) in the 1990s. He represented the LDK in internat ...

, Albanian sociologist, academic and politician * Mahmut Bakalli, Albanian politician, 5th President of the League of Communists of Kosovo *

Lorik Cana Lorik Agim Cana (; born 27 July 1983) is an Albanian former professional footballer. He is currently the Grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania, named by the Albanian Football Association on 26 October 2017. Cana played in the ...

, Albanian footballer and captain on National football team of Albania *

Besim Dina Besim Dina (born 6 July 1971) is a Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. ...

, Albanian television host *

Masar Caka Masar Caka (1946 - 2000) was an Albanian painter. He was a professor at the University of Pristina and the Academy of Figurative Arts of Kosovo, located in Pristina. Masar Caka was born on 13 April 1946 in Gjakova, Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( ...

, Albanian painter *

Gent Cakaj Gent Cakaj (born 6 July 1990) is a Kosovo-born Albanian politician, who served as the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania from 2019–2020. Biography He is the son of Shkëlzen Cakaj, a scientist born in Gjakova, Kosovo. Gent Cakaj wa ...

, Albanian minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs *

Bardhyl Çaushi Bardhyl Çaushi ( sq, Bardhyl Çaushi, sr, Бардил Чауши , translit=Bardil Čauši) (1936–1999) was a Kosovo Albanian human rights lawyer and activist. Highly active in cases of human rights abuses in Kosovo, Çaushi was the dean of t ...

, Kosovo Albanian dean of law of the University of Pristina * Bajram Curri, Albanian, founding member of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo *

Božidar Delić Božidar Delić ( sr-cyr, Божидар Делић, ; 20 February 1956 – 23 August 2022) was a Serbian general and politician who served as the vice president of the National Assembly of Serbia from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2 to 23 August ...

(born 1956), retired Yugoslav general and Serbian politician * Teki Dervishi, Albanian playwright * Rauf Dhomi, Albanian composer *

Mladen Dodić Mladen Dodić (; born 17 October 1969) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career After starting out at Borac Bivolje, Dodić joined Napredak Kruševac in 1990. He spent seven seasons with the club, before moving to Železnik ...

, Serbian football coach * Abdullah Pashë Dreni, Albanian pasha *

Emin Duraku Emin Duraku (1918 – 23 December 1942) was an Albanian partisan active during World War II, and a national hero of Albania. Duraku was born in Gjakova Gjakova, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the seventh largest city of K ...

, Albanian, partisan * Bekim Fehmiu, Yugoslav-Albanian actor, the first Eastern European to star in Hollywood during the Cold War * Gëzim Lala, Kosovar Albanian football player who played for FK Galenika Zemun. *

Ardian Gashi Ardian Gashi (born 20 June 1981) is a Kosovo, Kosovar retired association football, footballer who played as a midfielder]. Gashi played for Molde FK, Molde, Vålerenga Fotball, Vålerenga, SK Brann, Brann, Fredrikstad FK, Fredrikstad and Odds ...

, Albanian-Norwegian footballer *

Nora Gjakova Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

, Olympic judo champion *

Riza bej Gjakova Riza Kryeziu (1847-1917), known as Riza Bey Gjakova ( sq, Riza bej Gjakova, tr, Yakovalı Rıza Bey), was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerrilla fighter, an influential bey in the Gjakova region, then part of the Vilayet of Kosovo, Ottoman ...

, Albanian nationalist and guerrilla fighter *

Eros Grezda Eros Genc Grezda (born 15 April 1995) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Manisa and the Albania national team. Early life Grezda was born in Đakovica, FR Yugoslavia (modern day Gjakova, Kosovo) and g ...

, Albanian footballer * Besnik Hasi, Albanian footballer and coach *

Fadil Hoxha Fadil Hoxha ( Serbian: Фадиљ Хоџа, ''Fadilj Hodža''; 15 March 1916 – 21 April 2001) was a Yugoslavian ethnic Albanian communist revolutionary and politician from Kosovo. He was a member of the Communist party and fought in the Yugosl ...

, Albanian, first Prime Minister of AP Kosovo * Atifete Jahjaga, Albanian, former President of Kosovo *

Benet Kaci Benet Kaci ( ; born 4 August 1978) is a Kosovan media personality, journalist, and occasional singer known for hosting talk shows since 2000. His career in show business began when he started working in RTK. His first television hosting job was ...

, Albanian media personality *

Valonis Kadrijaj Valonis Kadrijaj (; born 23 March 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Born in Đakovica, SFR Yugoslavia, he moved with his family to Germany. Kadrijaj played youth football for FC Stern 1919 München an ...

, Albanian-German footballer *

Gjon Nikolle Kazazi Gjon (definite form: ''Gjoni'') is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name Etymology and history ''Gjon'' as a given name is a form of the English name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in Alb ...

was an Albanian Catholic bishop of Skopje, known for discovering Meshari of Gjon Buzuku. *

Ardian Kozniku Ardian Kozniku (born 27 October 1967) is a Kosovan-Croatian professional football coach and former player who most recently was the assistant manager of Al Faisaly. Playing career Club He started his career at Vëllaznimi from Gjakova and was ...

, former Albanian-Croatian footballer *

Ahmet Koronica Ahmet Koronica (also known as Ahmet Gjakova) was an Albanian military commander and regional leader of the League of Prizren. In 1877 he joined the Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights in Konstantiniyye. The organisation, whose aim was t ...

, Albanian nationalist * Flaka Krelani, Albanian singer *

Naim Kryeziu Naim Kryeziu (4 January 1918 – 20 March 2010) was an Kosovo Albanian football player famous in Italy in the 1940s and 1950s. Club career Born in Gjakova, Republic of Kosovo, Kryeziu was a particularly quick right winger able to run 100 m in 1 ...

, Albanian footballer, part of AS Roma's first Serie A win * Burim Kukeli, Albanian footballer * Festina Mejzini, Albanian singer * Mimoza Kusari Lila, Kosovo Albanian politician * Din Mehmeti, Albanian poet * Albesian Mataj, one the youngest soldiers of the

Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...

who died on active duty *

Avni Mula Avni Mula (Gjakova, 4 January 1928 – Tirana, 29 October 2020) was an Albanian singer, composer, and musician. For his contribution to the arts, he received two of the highest awards from the Albanian government: the People's Artist of Albani ...

, Albanian musician *

Blerim Mula Blerim Mula (born 21 October 1958) is a football manager and former defender who played for clubs in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. Playing career Born in Gjakova, Mula began playing football for local side FK Vlaznimi. He played one season ...

, Albanian footballer and manager *

Muslim Mulliqi Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Albanian impressionist and expressionist painter *

Fadil Nimani Fadil Nimani (7 April 1967 – 25 May 2001) was a Kosovar Albanian insurgent commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the Kosovo War (1998–99), and of the National Liberation Army (NLA) during the Macedonian Conflict (2001), in whi ...

, KLA fighter *

Dimitar Obshti Dimitar Obshti ( bg, Димитър Общи) was a 19th-century Bulgarian revolutionary, who fought for the liberation of Bulgaria, Serbia and Crete from the Ottoman Empire, as well as for the ''Risorgimento'' of Italy. Biography Obshti was bor ...

, Bulgarian revolutionary * Fanol Perdedaj, Albanian-German footballer *

Ali Podrimja Ali Podrimja (28 August 1942 – 21 July 2012) was an Albanian poet. He was born in Gjakova, at the time part of Italian-controlled Albania under Italy (present day Kosovo). After a difficult childhood due to the death of his parents, he stu ...

, Albanian poet * Mirlinda Kusari Purrini, Kosovo Albanian economist *

Aleksandar Tijanić Aleksandar Tijanić ( sr-cyr, Александар Тијанић; 13 December 1949 – 28 October 2013) was a Serbian journalist and director of the country's public broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia from 2004 to 2013. During his career he wa ...

, Serbian journalist and former RTS director *

Esat Valla Esat Valla (born 22 April 1944) is a Kosovar Albanian painter noted for his figurative paintings of small animals or insects such as butterflies and birds. Life Esat Valla was born on 22 April 1944 in Gjakova, where he attended primary school. ...

, Albanian painter * Miodrag Vlahović, Montenegrin former foreign minister * Liza Vorfi, Albanian actress *

Vladimir Durković Vladimir Durković (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Дурковић; 6 November 1937 – 22 June 1972) was a Serbian football defender. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Career Club career Durkovi ...

, Serbian football player and Olympic champion *

Momir Vojvodić Momir Vojvodić (; 18 February 193910 March 2014) was a Montenegrin Serb poet and politician. Born in 1939 in Ponoševac, near Đakovica, in Metohija, Vojvodić and his family were expelled from their village by the Bali Kombëtar and fled to M ...

, Montenegrin Serb poet and politician * Sylejman Vokshi, Albanian military commander and leader of the League of Prizren * Tahir Zajmi, Albanian leader of the Second League of Prizren, author of the work "The Second Connection of Prizren and the Heroic Struggle of the People for the Defense of Kosovo", Brussels, 1964 * Hajdar Dushi, Albanian member of the Communist Group of Shkodra , among the first anti-fascist resistance activists in Albania * Bekim Fehmiu, Famous Albanian actor, born in Sarajevo, family origin from Gjakova (son of Hoxha Ibrahim Fehmi) *

Ismet Peja Ismet Peja (27 April 1937 – 23 November 2020) was an Albanian folk singer from Kosovo. He has been credited as among the most influential Albanian folk singers. He was the son of Musa Peja, who was also an Albanian folk singer. He began to pla ...

, Albanian folk singer * Shkelzen (Xeni) Jetishi, Albanian folk singer * Shkelzen Doli, Albanian violinist in Vienna Philharmonic * Ilir Soba, KLA fighter, National Hero * Yll Morina, KLA fighter, National Hero * Permet Vula, KLA fighter, National Hero * Vjosa Dobruna, Albanian human rights activist, a founder of the Center for the Protection of Women and Children, the Safe House for Women in Gjakova, and the Women’s Center in Tetovo, award winner of the Edward Barsky Award for Courageous Physician in Chicago, ILL, USA, and many other awards * Ganimete Vula-Nura, first Albanian women parachutist in Kosova * Behije Dashi, first Albanian women architect in Kosova * Qamile Jaka, first Albanian women dentist in Kosova {{div col end Gjakova *