A L B A N I A

SUBMITTED BY:
ALHEA BESS M. DIMAANO
12-EULER
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons
of eagles,” though it may well refer to “those associated with the shqip (i.e.,
Albanian) language”—and to their country as Shqipëria. They generally
consider themselves to be descendants of the ancient Illyrians, who lived in
central Europe and migrated southward to the territory of Albania at the
beginning of the Bronze Age, about 2000 BCE. They have lived in relative isolation
and obscurity through most of their difficult history, in part because of the
rugged terrain of their mountainous land but also because of a complex of
historical, cultural, and social factors.

Because of its location on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, Albania has long
served as a bridgehead for various nations and empires seeking conquest
abroad. In the 2nd century BCE the Illyrians were conquered by the Romans, and
from the end of the 4th century CE they were ruled by the Byzantine Empire.
After suffering centuries of invasion by Visigoths, Huns, Bulgars, and Slavs, the
Albanians were finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.
Ottoman rule cut off Albania from Western civilization for more than four
centuries, but in the late 19th century the country began to remove itself from
Ottoman influence and to rediscover old affinities and common interests with
the West.

Albania was declared independent in 1912, but the following year the
demarcation of its boundaries by the great powers of Europe (Austria-Hungary,
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) assigned about half its territory
and people to neighbouring states. Ruled as a monarchy between the World
Wars, Albania emerged from the violence of World War II as a communist state
that fiercely protected its sovereignty and in which almost all aspects of life
were controlled by the ruling party. But with the collapse of other communist
regimes beginning in 1989, new social forces and democratic political parties
emerged in Albania. That shift reflected the country’s continuing orientation
toward the West, and it accorded with the Albanian people’s long-standing
appreciation of Western technology and cultural achievements—even while
retaining their own ethnic identity, cultural heritage, and individuality.
9 THINGS YOU
NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT ALBANIA
01 Albanian language is distinct from other languages in
Europe.

02 Albanian cuisine? Really good.

03 There are over 200 varieties of traditional Albanian clothing.

04 Distinctive yet all-encompassing architecture.

05 Albania has more than one landmark.

06 Each region has its own traditions.

07 Observers often describe Albania as a country completely

surrounded by itself.

08 Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic.

09 The law of Albania is civil law.

.
 01 ALBANIAN LANGUAGE

Many European languages originate from Greek, Latin or Slavic families, but not Albanian. This
ancient language has its own branch on the linguistic tree. Shqip (the Albanian word for the
language) is unrelated to any other language in Europe, and even if there are a few words that are
similar to phrases in Italian, English or other languages, it is unique.
It is an Indo-European language which forms its own branch in the Indo-European family and
has no close relatives. It is spoken by about 7.6 million people, mainly in Albania and Kosovo, and also
in parts of Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

naten e mirë (goodnight)

faleminderit (thank you)
mirupafshim (goodbye)
përshëndetje (hello)
mirë (it’s ok)
0
The dishes of Albania have their roots
with the ancient Ottoman Empire. The
combination of richly fertile land, proximity to
the sea, and blurry cultural lines with their

2
neighbours have culminated in a
modern  cuisine  that is both diverse and
simple. Modern day influences include Greece,
Italy, and Turkey.
A
L
B
A
N Tavë Kosi
I (lamb and rice baked with yogurt and eggs)

A
N

C
Byrek
U (flaky phyllo dough stuffed with savory fillings)

I
S
I
N
E Speca me Gjize
(peppers in cottage cheese)
0
2 Baklava
(a sweet layered pastry covered in syrup)

A
L
B
A
N Trilece
(three milk cake)

I
A
N

C Raki
(an intense aromatic liquor very similar to grappa as it is made from
U grape pomace. It is often flavored with aniseed)

I
S
I
N
Fëgesë
E (a slow cooked stew made of peppers, onions, spices, tomatoes and
cottage cheese)
 Albanian Skullcap The Pants
(Qeleshe/Plis/Qylaf) (Tirqe)

Shoes
(Opinga)

Vest Jubletta
(Xhamadani) (Xhubleta)

Traditional Albanian clothing (Albanian: veshjet
tradicionale shqiptare, veshjet kombëtare, veshjet
popullore or kostumet kombëtare) includes more than
200 different kind of clothings in all  Albania  and
Albanian inhabited lands. This is due to the division the
Albanian principalities in the Middle Ages. Almost every
region in Albania has its own traditional dress with
women clothing being particularly colorful and rich in
detail. Fabrics are traditionally made
by  weaving  clothes using  looms. To this day, some
conservative old men and women mainly from the North
wear traditional clothing in their daily lives. Instead,
older women from the South usually wear all-black
outfits. The Kilt

03
(Fustanella)

ALBANIAN
CLOTHING
03 ALBANIAN
CLOTHING
04
ALBANIAN ARCHITECTURE
The distinctive yet all-encompassing Durrës Castle
architecture of Albania is one of the biggest
draws to the country. Many of the world’s ancient
civilizations have passed through Albania, each
leaving their particular trace on the country’s
architectural legacy which includes Illyrian,
Greek, Roman (Butrint), Byzantine, Ottoman
(Gjirokastra  and  Berat), Austro-Hungarian, Durrës Castle is a 5th-century
Venetian (Shkodra), Italian, and finally castle, located in  Durrës, Albania. The
communist, post-communist, and modern castle was built by the Emperor of the
Byzantine Empire Anastasius I who
western influences (Tirana).
originated from  Durrës. At the time,
Grand medieval castles and ancient Anastasius made the city one of the most
bridges, intimate Venetian houses  and ancient fortified cities on the Adriatic. Repairs to
cities, archeological parks, churches and the walls have been carried out since the
mosques whose intricate frescoes and mosaics devastating earthquake of 1273. Currently
medieval walls nearly 15 feet (4.6 meters)
rival the world’s most famous ones, brightly-
in height and the three entrances of some
painted facades of communist-era residential of the fortification towers are preserved in
buildings, Fascist-era monuments and nearly one-third of the initial length of the
institutions, iconic landmarks, and those famous city castle walls.The castle was reinforced
bunkers, slowly becoming  some of the best with several guard towers by the Republic
of Venice and during the occupation of
hostels in Europe!
Albania by Ottoman Empire the wall was
Yet, here, there’s always more! For its small reinforced.The castle is now a popular
size, Albania contains an overwhelming amount Albanian tourist attraction in Durrës.
of the world’s history within it. The entire nation
resembles an open-air museum with countless
stories to tell.

Reja (the Cloud)

Reja (the Cloud) is a modern art installation
placed in front of the National Gallery of Arts. The
structure of the installation, the white transparency,
creates a geometric form that looks like a cloud and it
looks as if mist is rising in the park in front of the
Gallery.
04
ALBANIAN ARCHITECTURE

Et'hem Bey Mosque

This small, elegant mosque is one of the

oldest buildings remaining in Tirana. Many of the
various religious shrines were destroyed in the
atheism campaign and demonstrations of the late
1960's.

Muzeu Historik Kombëtar

Stuffed to the brim with Albanian cultural and
archaeological exhibitions, the National Historical
Museum (Muzeu Historik Kombëtar) opened in 1981 and
has since been updated to include information about
Albania’s Communist legacy. Items are arranged in
chronological order across eight different pavilions,
and most of the displays are in English.

Muzeu Historik Kombëtar

The Tanner's Bridge is an 18th century Ottoman period stone
footbridge built by the tanner’s craft which had a special position in
social and economic life of Tirana in this period of time.The bridge
was once part of the Shëngjergj Road that linked Tirana with the
eastern highlands.The bridge went across the Lana stream and was
adjacent to the area of butchers and leather workers. It testifies the
ancient traditions of our country in the field of building and the hard
work in this field.The Tanner's Bridge is distinguished for its
harmonious architecture and for the proportional distribution of its
elements.
 Mes Bridge L
A
N
St. Mary’s Church, Maligrad
D

05
Waterfalls in Osum Gorge

M
Old City of Gjirokastër
A
R
K
S

Berat Castle Pëllumbas Cave

RELIGION:
The people of Albania practice a diverse number of religions. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all co-
exist peacefully. The constitution of the country allows for the freedom of worship without any
constraint that can impede the practice of any religion. The country promotes religious tolerance.

LIFESTYLE CUSTOMS:
Albanians follow customs called The Kanun, and these are sets of traditional and cultural practices
that have their origins in the laws of the Illyrian tribe that has been passed down orally from one
generation to another. The Kanun has four pillars that guide the people in life, and they are Honor,
Hospitality, Right Conduct and Kin Loyalty. The Kanun also has an honor code called  Besa  which
compels any Albanian to have the ability to keep their promises and see to their obligations in life,
and it is the code of conduct that ensures that an agreement between two honorable members is
seen to completion. The Kanun calls upon people to take care and comfort those who are in need
regardless of their religious or racial affiliations, and this was the reason the Albanians offered
refuge to the Jewish people in 1940s during the Holocaust.

T
VALUES:
Albanian people, in general, are very hospitable. It is not unusual for an Albanian
family to spend a month’s salary to feed a visitor. A person invited to dinner will be
R given enough to “feed an army,” even though the host may go hungry the next day.
By tradition, women are expected to stay at home and to obey their husbands. They
A usually take care of the house and their children. However, recently, women are
being emancipated. For Albanians the family is considered to be the most stable

C D institution, therefore, they prefer to live altogether; husband, wife, children,

father, mother, brothers, and sisters.

U I NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION:

C It is very common for Albanians to greet each other with a kiss or a hug, even

S T between the same genders.  Albanians consider two men or two women walking

U hand-in-hand to standard behavior while in the United States, two men or

T I women holding hands would indicate a romantic relationship. While Americans

smile freely at strangers, in Albanian regions this is considered a little strange
L
O O
and sometimes impolite. Albanians tend to use more eye contact when they are
speaking, but less when they are listening. It is believed that avoiding eye
T contact is the way to show respect. Physical distance is another major
M N difference in the nonverbal communication between Albanians and other

U cultures. Acceptable distance for Albanians is much shorter than what most

S S Americans feel comfortable with. When Albanians place the hand on the chest

R is to say, “thank you”, when they stroke the shoulder lightly means “good

06
luck”.

E
VERBAL COMMUNICATION:
Albanians may frequently talk loudly to each-other but it is not because they are angry. They raise
their voices even in normal conversations. Albanian women tend to speak more than listening and
when in groups you would be listening to two or more women speaking at the same time. It is not
unusual when Albanian parents would tell to their kids “I will kill you”. This usually happens when
kids do something wrong or don’t obey their parents and it is a routine expression. However, parents
never mean to do so and they never do so, and nobody takes it seriously. It is only an attempt to
discipline their children.

TRADITIONAL ALBANIAN FUNERAL:

Traditional Albanian grave mounds can still be viewed today, dating back to 1650-
1400 BCE. Albanians dug the pits into rock and had small stones at the bottom for
the body to lie on. The grave walls contain timbers, clay, and other material slabs
and dirt filled up the pit. The outside walls form a second circle with stones etched
with elaborate artwork, resembling headstones. The deceased also had significant
possessions — such as jewelry, hair pins or bronze weapons — buried with

T them.  Another type of traditional burial was Tholoi chambers, also known
as beehive chambers. These chambers sunk into mountain edges with large stones

R
arranged like a beehive. There is a small doorway to get into the burial chamber and
an open triangle pointing upwards above the doorway. This is thought to symbolize
the holy trinity or also possibly marking it as a spiritual site.
A FESTIVALS: DITA E VERËS

C D Dita e Verës  (English: Summer Day) is a traditional,  pagan,  Albanian  holiday

observed on March 14, celebrating the change from winter to spring. It has its

I
roots in traditional Albanian, Greek and Roman religions.
U
C
WEDDING TRADITIONS:

S T
1.Weddings last one week.
2.As a rule the bride brings to groom’s house her dowry. The dowry is not money but contains presents to all the

U
groom’s relatives, different types of embroidery, pillows, blankets, carpets, even bedroom furnitures. But this
tradition changes from region to region.On the other hand, the groom has to send to the bride’s family presents

T I and money.
3.Krushqit (groom maids) They accompany the groom and go to take the bride form her family, on the wedding

L day.The first groom maid is his uncle, but the group is really big usually consisting of more than 10 people, singing

O O and dancing. They travel to the bride in decorated cars. The main car is that of the new couple, and next to this
comes a car, which holds the Albanian Flag.

T 4.A little kid, the youngest from the groom’s family holds a bunch of flowers to send them to the bride.

M N
5.After the groom and his relatives arrive at bride’s home, they take her with them. This is a moving moment.
Usually bride and her family cry altogether because the bride is leaving her father’s house to go to a new one.

U
6.When the bride arrives at groom’s home there are guns on fire, to express the joy of this moment, and a kind of

S S
victory.
7.At the door of the house, there stands the mother-in-law singing and waiting for the bride to give her honey and

R
bread to eat. This is done wishing that their relationship is going to be sweet as the honey.

06
8.When the bride enters her new home, a little boy waits to take off her sandals. There he finds some money, hidden
there intentionally. After that, the same boy is sit on the bride’s lap, to bring her good luck in giving birth to male
children.

E 9.The wedding ceremony involves a traditional bride-groom dance in which all the family and friends get involved,
during the course of which everyone gives them money or attaches bank notes to them.
0 A R
7EA
Albania is bounded by
Montenegro to the northwest,
Kosovo to the northeast, North
Macedonia to the east, Greece
to the southeast and south, and
the Adriatic and Ionian seas to
the west and southwest,
respectively. Albania’s
immediate western neighbour,
Italy, lies some 50 miles (80 km)
across the Adriatic Sea. Albania
has a length of about 210 miles
(340 km) and a width of about 95
miles (150 km).

Land area: 10,579 sq mi (27,400 sq km); total area: 11,100 sq

mi (28,748 sq km)
Population (2014 est.):  3,020,209 (growth rate: 0.3%);
birth rate: 12.73/1000; infant mortality rate: 13.19/1000; life
expectancy: 77.96; density per sq mi: 272
 GOVERNMENT
08
CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The constitution of the Republic of The country is divided
Albania was  promulgated  on November 28, into  qark  (counties), which are further
1998. It replaced an  interim  document from divided into  rrethe  (districts). Beneath the
1991 that had first sanctioned a districts in the
multiparty  political system  and officially administrative hierarchy are komuna (comm
guaranteed Albanian citizens the freedoms unes) and  bashkia  (municipalities). The
of speech, religion, press, and counties are governed by councils, whose
assembly.Albania is a  parliamentary members are either representatives of the
democracy, with 140 deputies elected to four- municipalities and communes from within
year terms in the unicameral Parliament. Of the county or are chosen by the council. The
those deputies, 100 are elected by direct cabinet appoints a prefect as its
suffrage, while the remainder are elected representative for each county. Government
by  proportional representation. The head of at the district and lower levels operates
the government, the  prime minister, is through local councils elected by direct vote
chosen from the leading party in parliament for three-year terms.
and selects the Council of Ministers
(cabinet). The president, who serves as the
POLITICAL PROCESS
The Democratic Party, a centre-right
head of state, is elected by the Parliament for
group that made its debut as the first
a five-year term and can serve a limit of two
opposition party in Albania, scored a series
consecutive terms.
of election successes in the early 1990s, but it
JUSTICE AND SECURITY bore the brunt of the blame for the 1997
Albania has a Constitutional Court, a economic collapse and fell into opposition.
Supreme Court, which is the highest court of Other political parties of note in the early 21st
appeals, and numerous appeal and district century were the  Social Democratic Party  of
courts. The Constitutional Court justices are Albania, the Union for Human Rights Party,
appointed by the Parliament to serve one and the Albanian Republican Party. There are
nine-year term. The Supreme Court has 11 also several agrarian, ecological, and
members appointed by the president with the socialist parties.
consent of the Parliament for a nine-year
term. Albanians age 19 and older are eligible
to serve in the country’s volunteer military
forces.
 09 L A W S
CIVIL CODES
Civil Code of the Republic of Albania, 1991
Civil codes were previously enacted in 1928 and 1981. The Code of 1928 was
derived from two earlier codes, the Code Civil of 1804 and the Codice Civile of
1865, which were respectively from France and Italy.  The Code of 1928
introduced civil marriage, whereas previously only religious marriages had
legal recognition. The Code of 1981 was communist.

LEGISLATIONS
Criminal Code of 1 October 1977
Law of 25 December 1979 (Law No 6069)
Labour Code of October 1981
Law on main constitutional clauses of 29 April 1991 (Law No 7491)
Law on the Organization of the National Intelligence Service of 2 July
1991 (Law No 7495)
Law Concerning the Savings Bank of 31 July 1991 (Law No 7505)Law on
foreign investments of 4 August 1992 (Law No 7549)
Banking Statute of 28 April 1992 (Law No 7560)
Law on the Introductory Part of a Commercial Code of 4 November
1992 (Law No 7632)
Law on Foreign Investment of 2 November 1993 (Law No 7764)
Criminal Code of 27 January 1995 (Law No 7895)
Code of Criminal Procedure of 21 March 1995 (Law No 7905)
Labour Code of 12 July 1995 (Law No 7961)
Law about the administration of the refused agricultural land of 14
December 1995 (Law No 8047)
Law for Non-divided Agricultural Lands of 26 March 1998 (Law No
8312)
Law On Leasing the Agricultural Land, Forest Land Meadows and
Pastures, which are State Property of 1 April 1998 (Law No 8318)
Law On forests and forest policeLaw On pastures and meadowsDecree
Concerning the Albanian Commercial Bank of 1 December 1990
(Decree No 7493)
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