Dragash or Sharr ( sq-definite, Dragashi or ''Sharri;'' sr-cyr, Драгаш) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the Prizren District of

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has 34,827 inhabitants. The Albanian name ''Sharri'' is a reference to the Šar Mountains (in Albanian ''Sharr''). The Serbian name ''Dragaš'' comes from medieval Serbian lord Constantine Dragaš.

History

The oldest mosque in Kosovo and in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

was built in 1289 and it is called Al-Aga Mosque. Dragash was named after a

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n medieval noble family of the same name which served

Dušan the Mighty Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Душан) is a Slavic given name primarily used in the former Yugoslavia and the former Czechoslovakia. The name is derived from the Slavic noun ''duša'' "soul". Occurrence In Serbia, it was the 29th most popular name fo ...

(r. 1331-1355) and

Uroš the Weak __NOTOC__ Uroš ( sr-Cyrl, Урош) is a South Slavic masculine given name used primarily by Slovenes and Serbs. This noun has been interpreted as "lords", because it usually appears in conjunction with ''velmõžie'' () "magnates", as in the phra ...

(r. 1355-1371). From 1877 to 1913, Dragash was part of Kosovo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire. From 1929 to 1941, Dragash was part of the

Vardar Banovina The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( Macedonian and ; ), was a province ( banate) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. History It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's North Mace ...

of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

. In 1941, Yugoslavia came under Axis invasion, and Dragash became a part of

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

; first under the Debar prefecture and later in 1943 transferred to the Kosovo prefecture after German takeover. From 1945 to 1992 Dragash was part of the

Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / "; ; . Also abbreviated as SAP Kosovo. referre ...

within the

Socialist Republic of Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

and after its disintegration part of the significantly less autonomous

Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (APKM) (; ), commonly known as Kosovo (; ) and abbreviated to Kosmet (from ''Kosovo (region), Kosovo'' and ''Metohija, Metohija''; ) or KiM (), is an autonomous province that occupies the souther ...

within the

Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

of the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

until 1999. During the period between 1991 and the end of the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

in 1999, the area was claimed by the self-declared proto-state of Kosova, but it was never fully administered by its partially recognized government. The Gora municipality and Opoja region (attached to Prizren municipality) remained separated during the Milošević period. "Consequently, the region extending north of Dragas city to Prizren, known as Opoje, which comprises 24,000 Albanians in 19 villages are grafted on to the Municipality of Prizren" During the Kosovo war, Albanians from Opoja fled to neighbouring

in cars, trucks and tractors along with others on foot who following the conflict returned home. After the war, the Gorani-majority Gora municipality was merged with the Albanian-inhabited Opoja region to form the municipality of Dragash by the United Nations Mission (UNMIK), and the new administrative unit has an Albanian majority. The town of Dragash is the regional and municipal centre for both the Gora and Opoja regions of Dragash municipality. Following 1999, Dragash has a mixed population of Gorani, who live in the lower neighbourhood and

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

in the upper neighbourhood that constitute the majority of inhabitants. Apart from the multiethnic town of Dragash, the Gorani of Kosovo continue to live in villages primarily inhabited by their community in Gora, and relations with Albanians remain tense. Albanians predominantly live in the Opoja region. Mixed marriage between both communities do not occur, with the exception of a few Gorani families that have migrated to

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

Geography

The territory of the Dragash municipality lies in the northern latitude of 41 52' 30" to 42 09' 03" and longitude of 20 35' 39" to 20 48' 26". The whole territory is surrounded by the Šar Mountains, then Koritnik Mountain, mountain Gjalic and Cylen in the direction of

. Only one part of the territory in Prizren direction is hilly with a relatively slight slope by which this territory is connected with Prizren basin and through Prizren with the world.

Governance

Aside from the town of Dragash, the following settlements comprise the municipality: * Baçkë/

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

* Bellobrad/Belobrod * Blaç/Bljač * Breznë/Brezna * Brod * Brodosanë/Brodosavce * Brrut/Brut * Buçë/Buča * Buzez/Buzec * Dikancë/ Dikance * Glloboçicë/Globočica * Kapër/Kapra * Kërstec/Donji Krstac * Kosavë/Kosovce * Krushevë/Kruševo * Kuk/Kukovce * Kukjan/Kukuljane * Kuklibeg * Leshtan/Leštane * Lubovishtë/ Ljubovište * Mlikë/ Mlike * Orçushë/ Orčuša * Plavë/ Plava * Pllajnik/Plajnik * Radeshë/ Radeša * Rapçë/ Gornja Rapča * Rapçë/ Donja Rapča * Restelicë/Restelica * Rrenc/ Rence * Shajnë/Šajinovac * Vranishtë/Vranište * Xërxë/Zrze * Zaplluzhë/Zaplužje * Zgatar * Zlipotok/ Zli Potok * Zym/Zjum Opoljski The former emblem of Dragash included an image of the Šarplaninac dog. Another symbol of Dragash is Šar cheese.

Economy

The main employers in the area are the Municipality,

Kosovo Police The Kosovo Police (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Policia e'' ''Kosovës'') is the national police, policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. It was established in 1999 and took its current form with the 2008 police law. It consists of five dep ...

, and private companies such as KUK Commerc, Meka and former state-owned enterprises.

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

, June 2006. Retrieved on 21 February 2008. All major local companies were formerly state-run and, as elsewhere in Kosovo, are currently under the responsibility of KTA. The original UNMIK strategy towards these public enterprises consisted of carrying out a process of 'commercialisation'. This process was believed to be the best way to revive the enterprises, although no foreign investors decided to invest.

Infrastructure

The municipality is mountainous and therefore has related infrastructural problems (e.g. problematic access to some villages during winter season). Its infrastructure was in a state of serious disrepair before the war, due to a combination of harsh winters and state neglect. Roads, in particular, ( Zhur–Dragash; Dragash-Brod; Dragash- Restelica) require urgent improvement for the social-economic development of the area. Bus connections between Dragash town and the Opoja area continue to improve and the services to Gora are organized by the two OSCE-SIMF buses donated to the municipality. There is a free school bus service provided by the municipality along Gora routes. Taxi services exist but are largely unaffordable for the population. OSCE through SIMF/ ECSF funds supported also the rehabilitation of the Heath House. Mobile coverage is also improving. Water supply is ensured in all villages.

Demography

According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Dragash has 34,827 inhabitants. Based on the population estimates from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics in 2016, the municipality has 34,349 inhabitants. The municipality's population mostly lives in rural areas (97%). The municipality is split into the regions of Opolje and Gora. Most of the Gorani live in Gora, whilst most

live in Opoja and are majority population of whole municipality. Due to geopolitical circumstances, some of the local Gorani people have over time self declared themselves as

, Macedonians,

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

, Muslim

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

, Turks and Muslims (nationality). The ethnic composition of the municipality: * 1971 – 13,867 (51.6%)

; 11,076 (41.3%) Gorani and

– total 26,850 * 1981 – 18,623 (53%) Albanians; 15,942 (45.5%) Gorani and Bosniaks – total 35,054 * 1991 – 22,785 (57.8%) Albanians; 16,129 (40.9%) Gorani and Bosniaks – total 39,435 * 2011 - 20,287 (59.6%) Albanians; 13,057 (38.4%) Gorani and Bosniaks - total 33,997

estimates say the following: * January 1999 – 27,633 (61.3%) Albanians; 17,470 (38.7%) Gorani and Bosniaks – total 45,103 * March 2000 – 24,856 (78%) Albanians; 9,706 (28.1%) Gorani and Bosniaks – total 34,562 * January 2006 – 22,800 (55.9%) Albanians; 17,975 (44.1%) Gorani and Bosniaks – total 40,775 According to the census in 2011, a significant number of people (4,100) self identified as

in the municipality.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragas Municipalities of Kosovo Populated places in Prizren District Gorani people