The Pešter Plateau ( sr, Пештерска висораван, Pešterska visoravan; sq, Rrafshnalta e Peshterit), or simply Pešter ( sr-Cyrl, Пештер, ; sq, Peshter), is a
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
in southwestern
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, in the
Raška (or
Sandžak
Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...
) region.
It lies at the
altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
of 1150–1492 m, (''Kuljarski vrh'') at 1492 meters. The territory of the plateau is mostly located in the municipality of
Sjenica
Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 14,060 inhabitants, while the municipality has 26,392.
Sjenica is sit ...
, with parts belonging to
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар, lit. "New Bazaar"; ) is a city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2011 census, the urban area has 66,527 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 100,410 inhabit ...
and
Tutin
Tutin may refer to:
Places
*Tutin, Serbia, town in Serbia
Surname
*Arthur Tutin (1907–1961), English footballer
*Dorothy Tutin (1930–2001), English actress
*Mary Tutin, maiden name of Mary Gillick (1881–1965), English sculptor
*Tom Tutin (1 ...
.
Name
The name of the region comes from the common
Slavic word for
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
( cu, пещера, peštera).
In the speech of people native to the area, the original feminine
gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...
of the word is preserved despite the loss of the ''-a'' ending (nominative ''Pešter'', genitive and locative ''Pešteri''), but in standard Serbian the gender is masculine (nominative ''Pešter'', genitive ''Peštera'', locative ''Pešteru'').
Geography
The plateau is actually a large field (''Peštersko polje'') surrounded by mountains of
Jadovnik (1734 m),
Zlatar (1627 m),
Ozren (1693 m),
Giljeva (1617 m),
Javor (1519 m),
Golija (1833 m),
Žilindar
Žilindar (Serbian Cyrillic: Жилиндар) is a mountain on the border of Serbia and Montenegro, between towns of Sjenica and Berane, on the central edge of Pešter
The Pešter Plateau ( sr, Пештерска висораван, Pešterska vi ...
(1616 m),
Hum
Hum may refer to:
Science
* Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion
* Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon
* The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon
* Venous hum, a physiological sensation
...
(1756 m),
Ninaja (1462 m) and
Jarut
Jarut (Serbian Cyrillic: Јарут) is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, surrounding the Pešter plateau, near the town of Tutin
Tutin may refer to:
Places
*Tutin, Serbia, town in Serbia
Surname
*Arthur Tutin (1907–1961), English footballer ...
(1428 m).
With the area of around 50 km
2, the Pešter field is the largest field in Serbia, and the highest one in the Balkans.
The rivers of
Uvac
The Uvac ( sr-cyrl, Увац) is an international trans-boundary river, rising under Golija mountain and Pešter plateau, then flowing through southwestern Serbia and cross into eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina where, after 115 km, it finally ...
, Vapa,
Jablanica and
Grabovica flow through this plateau.
In the geologic past, the field was a large lake, of which only a small lake (in
Sjenica
Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 14,060 inhabitants, while the municipality has 26,392.
Sjenica is sit ...
) near the village of
Tuzinje
Tuzinje is a village in the municipality of Sjenica, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 204 people.
History
Like Ugao and other villages in Pešter, Tuzinje is mainly inhabited by brotherhoods descended from th ...
remained.
The soil is mostly
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
interspersed with
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
s. Economy of the area relies primarily on cattle breeding, chiefly
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
.
Pešter is famous for its
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
s, especially the "Sjenica cheese" (''Sjenički sir''), as well as
lamb
Lamb or The Lamb may refer to:
* A young sheep
* Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep
Arts and media Film, television, and theatre
* ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut
* ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
and
pršut (or prosciutto).
The plateau is sparsely populated: most settlements are on the edge of the field, and the remainder is settled only during summer months.
Pešter is famous for its microclimate, which is particularly harsh in the winter months, and due to this, it is often called the "Siberia of Sandžak".
The lowest temperature in Serbia since measurements are taken, is measured at
Karajukića Bunari
Karajukića Bunari ( sr-cyr, Карајукића Бунари) is a village located in the municipality of Sjenica
Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The popul ...
village on 26 January 2006, beating the previous record of measured in
Sjenica
Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 14,060 inhabitants, while the municipality has 26,392.
Sjenica is sit ...
in 1954.
In the near geological past, the field used to be a highland lake, which gradually drained through karst ruptures, leaving marshy remnants in the lowest parts, around the flow of the
sinking river
A losing stream, disappearing stream, influent stream or sinking river is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bo ...
Boroštica. Those areas are home to a wet peatbog habitat that's unique for a karst area.
On the 1st of May in 2006,
Ramsar Ramsar may refer to:
* Places so named:
** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran
** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India
* Eponyms of the Iranian city:
** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran
** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...
included the wetland area of 3,455
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s into its
list of wetlands of international importance
This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientifi ...
.
Pešter is home to a number of endangered plant species, such as Fumana bonapartei, Halacsya sendtneri, and
Orchis tridentata. The only nesting place of
Montagu's harrier
Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.
Taxonomy
The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish na ...
in Serbia is in this area.
History
In 1700 the
High Porte of the Ottoman Empire instructed the Pasha of Peja to pacify
Rugova, resulting in 274 families being displaced from Rugova to Pešter. At that time, some members of the
Shkreli and
Kelmendi
Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia ( Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Mo ...
have begun migrating into the Pešter region.
The Kelmendi chief had converted to Islam, and promised to convert his fellow tribe members as well. A total of 251 Kelmendi households (1,987 people) were resettled in the Pešter area on that occasion, however five years later, the exiled Kelmendi managed to fight their way back to their homeland, and in 1711 they sent out a large raiding force to bring back some other from the Pešter region as well.
The remaining Kelmendi and Shkreli converted to Islam and became
Slavophones by the 20th century, and as of today they now self-identify as part of the
Bosniak ethnicity, although in the Pešter plateau they partly utilized the Albanian language until the middle of the 20th century particuarily in the villages of
Ugao
Ugao ( sr-cyr, Угао, sq, Uglla/Ugëll) is a village located in the municipality of Sjenica, southwestern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 545 inhabitants.
Ugao is one of three Albanian villages ( Borošt ...
,
Boroštica
Boroštica (, ) is a village in the municipality of Tutin, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 379 people.
Boroštica is one of three Albanian villages (Boroštica, Doliće and Ugao) in the Pešter
The Pešter P ...
,
Doliće and
Gradac.
Factors such as some intermarriage undertaken by two generations with the surrounding Bosniak population along with the difficult circumstances of the
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
during the 90s made the local Albanians opt to refer to themselves in censuses as ''Bosniaks,'' in order to avoid persecution by the Serb-dominated government.
[Andrea Pieroni, Maria Elena Giusti, & Cassandra L. Quave (2011).]
Cross-cultural ethnobiology in the Western Balkans: medical ethnobotany and ethnozoology among Albanians and Serbs in the Pešter Plateau, Sandžak, South-Western Serbia.
''Human Ecology''. 39. (3): 335. "The current population of the Albanian villages is partly "bosniakicised", since in the last two generations a number of Albanian males began to intermarry with (Muslim) Bosniak women of Pešter. This is one of the reasons why locals in Ugao were declared to be "Bosniaks" in the last census of 2002, or, in Boroštica, to be simply "Muslims", and in both cases abandoning the previous ethnic label of "Albanians", which these villages used in the census conducted during "Yugoslavian" times. A number of our informants confirmed that the self-attribution "Albanian" was purposely abandoned in order to avoid problems following the Yugoslav Wars and associated violent incursions of Serbian para-military forces in the area. The oldest generation of the villagers however are still fluent in a dialect of Ghegh Albanian, which appears to have been neglected by European linguists thus far. Additionally, the presence of an Albanian minority in this area has never been brought to the attention of international stakeholders by either the former Yugoslav or the current Serbian authorities." Shkrelis continued to migrate from Rugova to the territory of Pešter until the 19th century.
Catholic Albanian groups which settled in the early 18th century were converted to Islam in that period. Their descendants make up the large majority of the population of the Pešter plateau.
Gallery
Pester plateau in Serbia - 0855.jpg,
Pester Plateau in Serbia - 1128.jpg,
Pester Plateau in Serbia - 9663.CR2.jpg,
Pester Plateau, Serbia - 0123.CR2.jpg,
Pester Plateau, Serbia - 0193.CR2.jpg,
See also
*
Regions of Serbia
The regions of Serbia include geographical and, to a lesser extent, traditional and historical areas. Geographical regions have no official status, though some of them serve as a basis for the second-level administrative divisions of Serbia, ''ok ...
References
External links
Ivanjica - Golija - Pešterska visoravan - Moravac– a hiking tour through Pešter and Golija
Rezervati prirode - Peštersko poljeat the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pester
Sandžak
Ramsar sites in Serbia
Plateaus of Serbia
Sjenica
Novi Pazar
Tutin, Serbia
Geographical regions of Serbia
Geography of Šumadija and Western Serbia
Albanian communities in Serbia