Mesopotam ( sq-definite, Mesopotami; el, Μεσοπόταμος - ''Mesopotamos'') is a village and a former
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in
Vlorë County
Vlorë County (; sq, Qarku i Vlorës) is one of the 12 counties of the Republic of Albania with the capital in Vlorë. The county spans and has a total population of 187,675 people as of 2021. It borders the counties of Fier and Gjirokastë ...
, southern
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 ...
. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality
Finiq
Finiq ( sq, Finiq or Finiqi, el, Φοινίκη, Foiniki) is a settlement, considered town or village, and municipality in Vlorë County, in southern Albania located 8 km from the Ionian Sea and 20 km north of the Greek border. It was f ...
. The population at the 2011 census was 2,786,
[2011 census results]
Besides the village Mesopotam from which it takes its name and which functions as well as an administrative center, the administrative unit consists of 14 other villages:
Ardhasovë,
Bistricë,
Brajlat,
Dhrovjan,
Fitore
Fitore is a village of about 300 people in Korçë County, Albania. It is part of the former municipality Miras
Miras is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it bec ...
,
Kardhikaq
Kardhikaq ( sq-definite, Kardhikaqi; el, Γαρδικάκι; romanized: ''Gardikáki'') is a small village in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Finiq. It is inhabited by a ...
,
Kostar,
Kranë
Kranë ( sq-definite, Krana; el, Κρανιά; romanized ''Kraniá'') is a village in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Finiq. It is inhabited solely by Greeks.
History
...
,
Krongj,
Livinë,
Muzinë
Muzinë ( sq-definite, Muzina, el, Μουζίνα), is a village of the administrative unit of Mesopotam, Finiq, southern Albania. The village is known for its proximity to the water spring known as the Blue Eye, Albania, Blue Eye, a popular tour ...
,
Pecë,
Sirakat, and
Velahovë.
Etymology
The name comes from
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, meaning "between rivers".
Population
The
People's Republic of Albania (1945-1991) established cultural rights in special minority zones for ethnic Greeks in all 14 villages of Mesopotam. These rights were preserved after the fall of socialism in Albania.
According to a fieldwork of 1995 the majority of the villages, including Mesopotam itself, are inhabited solely by the Greek community, while Muzinë and Pecë, by the Albanian Orthodox. Bistricë has a mixed population and
Kardhikaq
Kardhikaq ( sq-definite, Kardhikaqi; el, Γαρδικάκι; romanized: ''Gardikáki'') is a small village in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Finiq. It is inhabited by a ...
is a mixed village inhabited by Greeks and
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and ...
.
[Kallivretakis, Leonidas (1995).]
Η ελληνική κοινότητα της Αλβανίας υπό το πρίσμα της ιστορικής γεωγραφίας και δημογραφίας [The Greek Community of Albania in terms of historical geography and demography
" In Nikolakopoulos, Ilias, Kouloubis Theodoros A. & Thanos M. Veremis (eds). ''Ο Ελληνισμός της Αλβανίας [The Greeks of Albania]''. University of Athens. p. 52.; p. 51. "ΑΧ Αλβανοί Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί, ΤΣ Τσάμηδες"; p.52. "SOPIK ΣΟΠΙΚΙ 889 ΑΧ, PANDALEJMON ΠΑΝΤΕΛΕΗΜΩΝ 395 ΤΣ".
Attractions
The Mesopotam village is known for its
13th century Orthodox Church dedicated to
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
, declared "Protected Monument" from the government.
The
"Blue Eye" water spring nearby is a well-known touristic destination.
Notable people
*
Constantine Mesopotamites Constantine Mesopotamites ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Μεσοποταμίτης) was a senior Byzantine official, and ''de facto'' chief minister under the emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos from 1193 until his fall in summer 11 ...
, Byzantine official.
See also
*
Tourism in Albania
Tourism in Albania has been a key element to the country's economic activity and is constantly developing. It is characterized by its rich archaeological and cultural heritage dating back to the classical period when Illyrians and Ancient Gre ...
*
Bistricë river
*
Phoenice
Phoenice or Phoenike ( el, Φοινίκη) was an ancient Greek city in Epirus and capital of the Chaonians.: "To the north the Chaonians had expelled the Corcyraeans from their holdings on the mainland and built fortifications at Buthrotum, K ...
*
List of Religious Cultural Monuments of Albania
The List of Religious Cultural Monuments of Albania ( sq, Objekte fetare me statusin Monument Kulture) refers to a monument in Albania which has been recognized by the Government of Albania and Ministry of Culture as a religious national heritage ...
References
Administrative units of Finiq
Former municipalities in Vlorë County
Greek communities in Albania
Villages in Vlorë County
{{Vlorë-geo-stub