Delvinë: Difference between revisions

'''Delvinë''' is a small town in [[Vlorë County]] in Southern [[Albania]], for 16 km northeast fromof [[Saranda]]. Delvinë is the principal place of the circledistrict of the same name. Delvinë has lost since 1990 at leastover onea third of its citizens andsince has1990, todayleaving stilla population of 4,200 inhabitants (estimation 2004) estimate.

The city is because ofon a mountain- slope. It has a mosque and an Orthodox church. On close convenient mountainNearby are the remainders of a medieval castle. InTo the levelsouth underneathwest of the city is the antiquesite of ancient [[Phoenice]], which was declared an Archaeological Park in Phoinike2005.

BesideThere theis statelittle itlocal hardlyemployment givesapart employer.from Alsothat ofprovided couldby the State and Delvinë dobenefits notlittle boom-endfrom booming tourism in Saranda yet profit directly.

In the middle ageages, Delvinë was a part of the Despotat of Epirus. In the middle of the 14th century the aristocracy familyaristocratic Delvina has taken the rulefamily overruled Delvinë. In 1354 are testified, Mehmet Ali Pasha Delvina was testified as ownersthe owner of the castle and the city.

==BloomBoom time under theTurkish Turkeycontrol==

The Turkish traveler [[Evliya Çelebi]] visited Delvinë around 1670 Delvinë and gives some information about the city in his travel book. ItHe knows to reportreports that Delvinë in the Middle Ages wasDelvinë firstwas in Spanishthe handhands (with Spaniardsof the Catalan mercenaries are probably gemeit, in 14th century their nuisance in EpirusSpanish and Greece floated). Afterwardslater the Venetians some time rulers was over the city. To EvliyaIn Çelebishis timesown wastime, Ajaz pasha, - a native Albanian, - governed the Sandschak Bey of Delvinë. The Sandschak of Delvinë covered 24 Zeamets and 155 Timare. There was a Turkish garrison, whose command on the castle was from Delvinë. According to the description of Çelebis, the small fortress had a good cisterne, an ammunition depot and a small mosque. In the city reports Çelebithere were about 100 brick-built houses covered with bricks had. These stood relatively far apart and nearly eachevery house were provided withhad a fastened tower. ButHe noted that a townwalltown wall was missing. There was several mosques, three Medreses and about 80 stores as well as an open market place.

In the 17th century was, Delvinë thuswas a flowering eastern city with a predominantly Muslim population. Orthodox Christians probably lived in the adjacent villages, where there are received until today still some old churches.

Up toUntil the Second World War, a small Jewish community existed in Delvinë. It concernedconsisted of Jews from Spain, who had come underto theDelvinë osmanianunder Osmanian rule to Delvinë and had close connections to the large Jewish community in [[Ioannina]]. NearlyAfter allthe Jewswar, emigratednearly afterall the warJews emigrated to Israel.