Once upon a time in the land of eagles...
Updated: Aug 14, 2019
One of the biggest challenges for Albania worldwide is that actually there is very little known about their history and lots of bad reputation from their mafia. So here is a small glimpse to their past.
Albania’s history Shows the struggle of its people to find their place, identity and freedom from the rest of world. They went through many invasions, wars, principalities, occupation, dictatorship, gain of land, loss of land, you name it!
To learn about the country’s history in one post is unreasonable, nevertheless here is a quick summary of what I consider key points about Albanian’s history to get you warm up before your visit!
…But one thing first! The Name
Albania it is actually a name given to the country by foreigners. However Albanians call their country Shqiperi which means in their native language “eagle’s nest”. Through history they have been known by many different names suchs as Albanoi, Arbënuer, Arbënor, Arbëneshë, Arbreshë, Arbëreshë, Arnaut, and Arnaoutis. Nonetheless in modern times they called themselves “Shqiptar” while the rest of the world call them “Albanians”.
The Original Tribes
The Illyrian civilization consisted of different tribes who are considered the ancestors of Albanian people. Illyria as it was known in ancient times was a region that stretched from today’s Albania all the way to Croatia at some point during Greek and Roman times. Today, you can find throughout the country many archeological sites built during that era such as Apollonia in Fier and Butrint in Sarande.
Due to its favorable geographical position, this land was part of the Via Egnatia and it served as a linking route for trading with the Roman Empire and the Venetians later on.
