Pashtrikë or Pashtrik ( sq, Pashtriku) or Paštrik ( sr-Cyrl, Паштрик), is a mountain located in

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 international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

and

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 share ...

. Its highest peak is located on their mutual border. It is high. The

White Drin The White Drin or White Drim ( sq, Drini i Bardhë,/ ''Beli Drim'') is a river in Kosovo and northern Albania, a ca. -long headstream of the Drin. Course Kosovo The Kosovo section of the White Drin flows entirely in the semi-karst part of ...

river passes along by it. Mount Pashtrik is the site of annual pilgrimages of residents from Has region of

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

and Gjakova in Kosovo and from the border area of Albania.

History

In the 15th century the Albanian toponym ''Darda'' was recorded in the region, which indicates an Albanian presence.

Overview

Pashtrik is located in the historical region of Has, which up until the 16th century was named after the mountain. In the 17th century the name ''Has'' gained a prominence. It is a reference to the taxation status of the region which was taxed directly under the Ottoman Sultan instead of being part of the administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Two-thirds of the mountain belongs to Albania. It is located in north-eastern Albania. The village of

Krumë Krumë is a town and a former municipality in the Kukës County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Has. The population according to the 2011 census was 6,006.

is positioned next to it. One-third of the mountain is in Kosovo. It is located in south-western Kosovo. The village of

Gjonaj Gjonaj is an Albanian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adriana Gjonaj, Albanian politician *Algert Gjonaj (born 1987), Albanian basketball player *Etilda Gjonaj (born 1981), Albanian politician *Kujtim Gjonaj (born 1946), Albanian ...

is positioned next to the mountain. It was built from

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ...

core, covered by

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

limestone, mostly under the vegetation. Small mammals living in the mountain include the common vole,

northern white-breasted hedgehog The northern white-breasted hedgehog (''Erinaceus roumanicus'') is a species of hedgehog. Distribution The range of the species extends in the west as far as Poland, Austria and the former Yugoslavia, and south to Greece and the Adriatic Islands ...

, balkan mole, and european mole. The

blind mole The blind mole (''Talpa caeca''), also known as the Mediterranean mole, is a mole found in the Mediterranean region. It is similar to the European mole, differing most prominently in having eyes covered with skin. It is found in Albania, France, ...

occurs in the grasslands in old growth stands of beech forest.

Cult and pilgrimages

Mount Pashtrik has been considered sacred since ancient times. The old pagan cult is reflected in the annual pilgrimage of both Christians and Muslims that take place on the mountain. Catholic pilgrimages celebrate a two-day festival dedicated to the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...

. The feast is called by locals "Feast of the Holy Trinity" ( Albanian: ''Festa e Shëndritatit'').

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 ...

take pilgrimages to honor the legendary figure

Sari Saltik A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...

(Albanian: ''Sari Salltëk''), considering the mountain to contain one of his seven tombs. The Orthodox of Prizren consider the mountain to contain the tomb of Saint Pantaleimon, and take pilgrimages celebrating one whole night in summer. The cult of the mountain and mountain tops is widespread among

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ser ...

. This ancient practice is still preserved today, notably in Pashtrik, Lybeten,

Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain range in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-coll ...

, Gjallicë,

Rumia Rumia (; Kashubian: ''Rëmiô''; German until 1945: ''Rahmel'') is a town in northern Poland, in the Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship, with some 45,000 inhabitants. It is a part of the Kashubian Tricity (Rumia, Reda, Wejherowo) and ...

Koritnik Koritnik ( sq, Maja e Koritnikut) is a wooded, limestone mountain, located in northeastern Albania and southwest Kosovo between the cities of Kukës and Prizren. The mountain is entirely surrounded by branches of the White Drin river. The high ...

Shkëlzen Shkëlzen (Maja e Shkëlzenit) is a mountain in Albania with a height of .Soviet military maK-34-53-В(1:50,000) It is rocky and located near the border with Kosovo, north of Tropojë and within the Highlands of Gjakova. It belongs to the Accurse ...

, Mount Krujë, Shelbuem, Këndrevicë, Maja e Hekurave, Shëndelli and many others. In

Albanian folk beliefs Albanian folk beliefs ( sq, Besimet folklorike shqiptare) comprise the beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all ...

it is strictly related to the cult of Nature in general, and the cult of the Sun, the earth and water in particular. Every mountain is said to have its own nymph ( ''Zana e malit''). According to the top of the mountain where the nymphs stay, they get their specific name. Therefore Mount Pahtrik is the dwelling of ''Zana e Pashtrikut''.; ; .

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * Mountains of Kosovo Mountains of Albania Has (municipality) {{Kosovo-geo-stub