Gaqo Adhamidhi (1859–1939), also referred to as Adhamidh Frashëri, was an Albanian physician and political figure during the early 20th century.

Life

Adhamidhi was born in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...

, back then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, today's

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 ...

. Like most of the members of the Orthodox community there he emigrated at a young age. He settled in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

, where he studied medicine and became a physician. Adamidi was a close friend of the physician and politician

Mihal Turtulli Mihal Turtulli (1856–3 January 1935), also known as Michal Tourtoulis or Dr. Turtulli, was an Albanian oculist, politician, member of the High Council of State (Jan - Dec 1920), and representative of Albania at the Paris Peace Conference of ...

, another prominent member from the ranks of the Albanian community of Egypt. Adhamidhi served during 1892–1914 as personal doctor of

Abbas II of Egypt Abbas II Helmy Bey (also known as ''ʿAbbās Ḥilmī Pāshā'', ar, عباس حلمي باشا) (14 July 1874 – 19 December 1944) was the last Khedive ( Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, ruling from 8January 1892 to 19 December 19 ...

, the last

khedive Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"K ...

of Egypt and

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

from the dynasty of Muhammad Ali. During his time in Egypt, Adhamidi attempted and failed to establish cooperation between the Albanian community residing there with the one based in Romania. In 1914, following the events of the

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Ass ...

and the newly created Albanian state, Adamidi returned to Albania where he served as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

of 1914 (resigned on 20 May 1914) headed by

Turhan Pasha Përmeti Turhan Pasha Përmeti (19 December 1846 – 18 February 1927) was an Ottoman-Albanian politician, who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Albania. He was also in service of the Ottoman state and held the title of Pasha of the Ottoman Empire. Am ...

, the first government of the

Principality of Albania The Principality of Albania ( al, Principata e Shqipërisë or ) refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by Wilhelm, Prince of Albania, that lasted from the Treaty of London of 1913 which ended the First Balkan War, through ...

. With the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he settled in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, associating with the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzer ...

. He stayed many years in Switzerland, becoming chairman of the "Albanian National Council" there, a political society of the

Albanian diaspora The Albanian diaspora ( sq, Mërgata Shqiptare or Diaspora Shqiptare) are the ethnic Albanians and their descendants living outside of Albania, Kosovo, southeastern Montenegro, western North Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, northwestern Greece a ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

. He also represented Albania in the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...

As a personage

It is accepted that the Albanian poet and playwright Andon Çako, better known as

Andon Zako Çajupi Andon Zako Çajupi (27 March 186611 July 1930) was an Albanian lawyer, playwright, poet and rilindas. Biography He was born in the village of Sheper, Upper Zagoria, Albania, then Ottoman Empire, on 27 March 1866. Çajupi's father, Harito Zak ...

, one of the prominent activists of the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

, based his comic personage "Dr. Adhamuti" of his comedy ''Klubi i Selanikut'' (Thessaloniki's Club) based on George Adamidi. The reason was a personal vendetta due to a Zako's

matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of matching two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. The word is also used in the context of sporting events such as boxing, in ...

gone bad, for which he might have accused Adamidi. Inside Zako's comedy, "Dr. Adhamuti" is described as a

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

, penny-pinching, ignorant, pro-Ottoman, pseudo-physician.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adhamidhi, Gaqo 1859 births 1939 deaths Albanian physicians 19th-century Albanian people 20th-century Albanian people People from the Khedivate of Egypt People from Korçë People from Manastir vilayet Albanian expatriates in Switzerland Albanian diplomats Finance ministers of Albania Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania Frashëri family Albanians from the Ottoman Empire