Dangëllia is a traditional or "ethnographic" region of Albania, located primarily around the towns of Përmet and Frashëri, although the exact definition of its borders varies. Neighboring regions include Dishnica to the North, Zagori and Këlcyra to the West, Skrapar to the South, Kolonja to the East and South, and the Greek border (Konitsa municipality) to the South.

It is known for its large and disproportionate contribution of intellectuals to the Albanian National Awakening, including most notably of all Naim Frashëri.^[1]

History

In the late Ottoman Empire, the region contributed disproportionately to the Albanian National Awakening and the Albanian nationalist movement. Greek schools established in the 19th century helped the emergence of a relatively large (for the times) Albanian literary class. Many important intellectuals such as Naim Frasheri were educated in these schools. The Ottoman authorities tried to ensure that only Christian children would be educated in these schools, but Muslim children attended nevertheless. Both the Ottoman authorities and the Orthodox Church tried to thwart the opening of Albanian-language schools as well, but in the early 20th century as the Ottoman Empire fell apart, these too were opened and Albanian children began attending them, further increasing Albanian literacy.

The Albanian literacy ultimately ended up contributing very significantly to the Albanian National Awakening, increasing feelings of Albanian patriotism, and facilitated the push for independence from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. Another vehicle for propagation of Albanian nationalism were the network of Bektashi tekkes in the region, which tended to support and advocate for the movement.

After the fall of communism, the region is very heavily affected by emigration.^[1] This also occurred a century ago, when much of the population emigrated to, and then returned from, various places including Istanbul, Romania and the United States.

Population

References