Mallakastër ( sq-definite, Mallakastra) is a region and a municipality in

Fier County Fier County (; sq, Qarku Fier, italic=unset), officially the County of Fier ( sq, Qarku i Fierit, italic=unset), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the eighth largest by area and the third most populous of the ...

, southwestern

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 ...

. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the present municipalities

Aranitas Aranitas is a village and a former Municipalities of Albania, municipality in Fier County, Albania. During the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Mallakastër. The population at the 2011 census was 2,714. Th ...

Ballsh Ballsh ( sq-definite, Ballshi) is a town and a former municipality in Fier County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Mallakastër. It was the seat of the former District ...

, Fratar, Greshicë, Hekal, Kutë, Ngraçan,

Qendër Dukas Qendër Dukas is a former municipality in the Fier County, southwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Mallakastër Mallakastër ( sq-definite, Mallakastra) is a region and a municipality i ...

and Selitë. The seat of the municipality is the town Ballsh. The total population is 27,062 (2011 census), in a total area of 329.37 km². It is coterminous with the former

Mallakastër District Mallakastër District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 39,881 in 2001, and an area of . It is in the south of the country, and its capit ...

Name

The municipality takes its name from the Mallakastër hills.

Geography

The landscape consists of fields alternated with low hills. Their highest point is the hill Shëndëlli (712 m),Soviet military ma
K-34-124-Б
(1:50,000) not to be confused with the much higher

Mount Shëndelli Mount Shëndelli (Literal translation, lit. "Mount Holy-Sun") is a mountain in southern Albania in the geographical region of Southern Albanian Highlands. It is part of the mountain chain Shëndelli-Mount Lunxhëri, Lunxhëri-Mount Bureto, Bureto ...

further south.

Population

The people from this region are called ''Mallakastriotë''. The population is

Muslim 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 ...

and

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

. The region is a center of both the

Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

order and the

Halveti The Khalwati order (also known as Khalwatiyya, Khalwatiya, or Halveti, as it is known in Turkey) is an Islamic Sufi brotherhood (''tariqa''). Along with the Naqshbandi, Qadiri, and Shadhili orders, it is among the most famous Sufi orders. Th ...

order (to a lesser extent). The region is known for its cultural traditions and has produced many brave fighters including Rrapo Hekali.

Economy

Mallakastër is an industrially important region for Albania since it has reserves of

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

which make area a center of

production and refining in Albania. Mallakastër is also known for its

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

which produces a large variety of products.

Notable people

Kadri Roshi Kadri Roshi (4 January 1924 – 6 February 2007) was an Albanian actor. He was named a People's Artist of Albania The People's Artist () was an honorary title for outstanding art performers of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, whose ...

, famous actor *

Mehmet Shehu Mehmet Ismail Shehu (January 10, 1913 – December 18, 1981) was an Albanian communist politician who served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Albania from 1954 to 1981. As an acknowledged military tactician, without whose leadership the communist p ...

, communist politician * Rrapo Hekali, key figure in the

Albanian revolt of 1847 The Albanian Revolt of 1847 was a 19th-century uprising in southern Albania directed against Ottoman Tanzimat reforms which started in 1839 and were gradually being put in action in the regions of Albania. Background The primary aim of the Tanz ...

Liri Belishova Liri Belishova (14 October 1926 – 23 April 2018) was an Albanian politician. She was a member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania and an important political figure in Albania between 1944 and 1960. Life Born in the village of ...

, communist politician *Qani Toro, communist politician *Dervish Hekali, Hero * Luftar Paja * Ismail Klosi * Ramiz Aranitasi

References

Historical regions in Albania Municipalities in Fier County Administrative units of Mallakastër Albanian ethnographic regions {{Fier-geo-stub