Qeparo
Encyclopedia
Qeparo is a seaside village on the Albanian Riviera
in Himarë
municipality, District of Vlorë, Albania
. Nowadays Qeparo is divided in two parts, known as the old and the new village.
, the original name of the village was Kiepero or Kiparos, which derives from the Greek
word kipos, meaning garden.
.
During the period of the Balkan Wars
, the inhabitants of Greek-speaking villages in the region, such as Qeparo, fought against Albanian speaking-villages, who fought on the side of the Ottoman Empire
.
The village has an Orthodox Church dedicated to Saint Demetrius, dated 1760, one of the nine churches in Albania dedicated to that saint.
To the east, Qeparo is bounded by the village of Borsh, to the northeast by Çorraj, to the north with Kudhës, to the northwest by Piluri, to the west with the town of Himara and to the south and southwest by the Ionian sea. The Porto Palermo Castle, built by Ali Pasha to guard against the Himariotes is part of the territory of Qeparo.
The village is composed of the following neighbourhoods or brotherhoods : Ballëguras, Bragjint' e Poshçërë, Bragjint' e Sipërmë, Dhimëgjonas, Gjikëbitaj, Mërtokaj, Ndregjin, Peçolat, Pogdan and Rushat. Every brotherhood had its own patron saint.
Qeparo has cultivated olives for centuries, as mentioned in early 19th century in the work of François Pouqueville
, Napoleon Bonaparte's general consul
at the court of Ali Pasha
in Ioannina
.: testimony to this, are some centennial olive trees still existing in the village.
and Greeks
. Today the inhabitants of Qeparo are bilingual in Greek and Albanian, although in the day-to-day language, mainly Albanian is used The Albanian local dialects, are part of southern Tosk, and more precisely, of the Labërisht sub-group. Labërisht itself is composed of non-unical language groups.
A distinctive feature of the Qeparo dialect, is the retention of long vowels, for ex.: IPA: [pa:r], pair opposed to IPA: [par], on the right side; IPA: [me:r], fatigue, opposed to IPA: [mer], take! In general, nouns in the dialect of Qeparo, have one plural, but some nouns can take two or more plural forms: qeros - qerosë - qerosërë; lanet - lanetë - lanetërë; leshtë - leshëratë; buzeç - buzeçë - buzeçërë; çakall - çakallë - çakej.
Albanian Riviera
Albanian Riviera is a coastal area in the County of Vlorë running along the Ionian Sea under the Ceraunian Mountains in Southern Albania. It should not be confused with the Albanian Coastline as a whole which incorporates both the Riviera and the mostly flat coastline of the north...
in Himarë
Himarë
Himarë is a bilingual region and municipality along the Albanian Riviera in southern Albania and part of the District of Vlorë. Apart from the town of Himarë, the region consists of 7 other villages: Dhërmi, Pilur, Kudhës, Qeparo, Vuno, Iljas, and Palasë....
municipality, District of Vlorë, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Nowadays Qeparo is divided in two parts, known as the old and the new village.
Name
According to 19th century topographer William Martin LeakeWilliam Martin Leake
William Martin Leake, FRS , British antiquarian and topographer, was born in London.After completing his education at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and spending four years in the West Indies as lieutenant of marine artillery, he was sent by the government to Constantinople to instruct the...
, the original name of the village was Kiepero or Kiparos, which derives from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word kipos, meaning garden.
History
In antiquity, the area of Qeparo, like the rest of the Himara region, was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the ChaoniansChaonians
The Chaonians were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus located in the north-west of modern Greece and southern Albania. On their southern frontier lay another Epirote kingdom, that of the Molossians, to their southwest stood the kingdom of the Thesprotians, and to their...
.
During the period of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, the inhabitants of Greek-speaking villages in the region, such as Qeparo, fought against Albanian speaking-villages, who fought on the side of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
The village has an Orthodox Church dedicated to Saint Demetrius, dated 1760, one of the nine churches in Albania dedicated to that saint.
Geography
Qeparo is situated on the western slope of Mount Gjivlash, at about 450 metres (1,476.4 ft) above sea level. In ancient times, Qeparo was situated in the hill of Kasteli. Later on, its inhabitants settled a little further down, in the Gjivlash Slope, southeast of the hill of Kasteli, to be closer to their fields and to escape the cold of the winter. From 1957 onwards, Qeparo was split into the Old Village , and the New Village .To the east, Qeparo is bounded by the village of Borsh, to the northeast by Çorraj, to the north with Kudhës, to the northwest by Piluri, to the west with the town of Himara and to the south and southwest by the Ionian sea. The Porto Palermo Castle, built by Ali Pasha to guard against the Himariotes is part of the territory of Qeparo.
The village is composed of the following neighbourhoods or brotherhoods : Ballëguras, Bragjint' e Poshçërë, Bragjint' e Sipërmë, Dhimëgjonas, Gjikëbitaj, Mërtokaj, Ndregjin, Peçolat, Pogdan and Rushat. Every brotherhood had its own patron saint.
Qeparo has cultivated olives for centuries, as mentioned in early 19th century in the work of François Pouqueville
Francois Pouqueville
François Charles Hugues Laurent Pouqueville was a French diplomat, writer, explorer, physician and historian, member of the ....
, Napoleon Bonaparte's general consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
at the court of Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yannina, surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina", Ali Pashë Tepelena was an Ottoman Albanian ruler of the western part of Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina...
in Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
.: testimony to this, are some centennial olive trees still existing in the village.
Language
The village is inhabited by both ethnic AlbaniansAlbanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
and Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. Today the inhabitants of Qeparo are bilingual in Greek and Albanian, although in the day-to-day language, mainly Albanian is used The Albanian local dialects, are part of southern Tosk, and more precisely, of the Labërisht sub-group. Labërisht itself is composed of non-unical language groups.
A distinctive feature of the Qeparo dialect, is the retention of long vowels, for ex.: IPA: [pa:r], pair opposed to IPA: [par], on the right side; IPA: [me:r], fatigue, opposed to IPA: [mer], take! In general, nouns in the dialect of Qeparo, have one plural, but some nouns can take two or more plural forms: qeros - qerosë - qerosërë; lanet - lanetë - lanetërë; leshtë - leshëratë; buzeç - buzeçë - buzeçërë; çakall - çakallë - çakej.
Tourism
Qeparo is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Albania. Two hotels and a few guesthouses serve the tourists' enjoyment of the small beaches.Notable people
- George TenetGeorge TenetGeorge John Tenet was the Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, and is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University....
's ancestors - Janko Pali, Merited Teacher of Albania, writer, teacher, translator, and ethnographer
- Persefoni Kokëdhima, World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
People's Hero of AlbaniaPeople's Hero of AlbaniaHero of Albania, more properly Hero of the People is the highest title that can be bestowed on a citizen of Albania.-Creation:The title was created in 1945 and the Albanian parliament confirmed it by Law in 1954 and then reconfirmed by Law Nr.6133 on February 12, 1980...
(see also Bule NaipiBule NaipiBule Naipi, People's Heroine of Albania is an Albanian World War II heroine.She was born in 1922 in Gjirokastër, Albania. As a member of the Communist Youth, she joined the Antifascist War. Since the beginnings of her childhood she faced grave difficulties as her father had left the city and...
) - Koço Kokëdhima notable businessman and publisher in Albania
- Andon QesariAndon QesariAndon Qesari is an Albanian actor and director. He has made a handful of films as an actor, and is also known for his work in theater...
, actor and director
Further reading
- Widmann, Carlo Aurelio; Paladini, Filippo Maria (ed.): Dispacci da Corfù - 1794 - 1797. Venice, La Malcontenta, 1997.
- İnalcık, Halil: Hicrî 835 Tarihli: Sûret-i Defter-i Sancak-i Arvanid [Copy of the Fiscal Survey for the Province of Arvanid (Albania), Year 1431 A.D.]. Metni bir Giriş ile Neşreden Halil İnalcik. Metin dışında H. 991 tarihli Avlonya Kanunnâmesi ile 1 harita, 29 tıpkı-basım vardır. (Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınlarından XIV. Seri – No. 1. Tahrir defterleri.) Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi – Ankara. 1954, p. 27 - 28.
- Region of Himara: Official municipality website.