History
The area now occupied by the city of Tirana has been populated since Paleolithic times dating back 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, as evidenced by tools that were found near Mount Dajt's quarry terrain, as well as inside the Cave of the Pellumbas. As argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with Illyrian toponyms and legends as the city's precincts are some of the earliest regions in Albania to be inhabited.
Various remains discovered in fortresses, churches, villages, and during urban constructions in and around Tirana provide evidence for continuous activity throughout much of human history. The oldest discovery in the area of Tirana was a mosaic, dating back to the 3rd century A.D., with several other remains found at the Fountain of Shengjin, near a medieval temple. A castle, possibly called Tirkan or Theranda, was built by Emperor Justinian in 520 AD and restored by Ahmed Pasha Toptani in the 18th century. The area had no special importance in Illyrian and classical times. In 1510, Marin Barleti, an Albanian Catholic priest and scholar, in the biography of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg, Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis (The story of life and deeds of Skanderbeg, the prince of Epirotes), referred to this area as a small village.
The records of the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431–32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, with nearly 2,028 houses and 7,300 inhabitants. The 1583 census records show that Tirana had 110 inhabited areas, with 2,900 houses and 20,000 inhabitants. Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler, established the Ottoman town in 1614 with a mosque, a commercial centre and a hammam (Turkish sauna). The town was located along caravan routes and it began to develop in the beginning of the 16th century, when a bazaar was established, and its craftsmen manufactured silk and cotton fabrics, leather, ceramics and iron, silver, and gold artifacts. Sited in a fertile plain, the Tirana area exported 2,600 barrels of olive oil and 14,000 packages of tobacco to Venice by 1769.
During this period, the Et'hem Bey Mosque built by Molla Bey of Petrela, began to be constructed. It employed the best artisans in the country and was completed in 1821 by Molla's son, who was also Sulejman Pasha's grandnephew. In 1800, the first newcomers arrived in the settlement, the so-called ortodoksit. They were Vlachs from villages of Korçë and Pogradec who settled around the area of today's Park on the Artificial Lake. Later, they started to be known as the llacifac and were the first Christians to arrive after the foundation of the town. In 1807, Tirana became the center of the Sub-Prefecture of Krujë-Tirana. After 1816, Tirana languished under the control of the Toptani family of Krujë. In 1865, Tirana became a Sub-Prefecture of the newly created Vilayet of Shkodër and Sanjak of Durrës. The Albanian language started to be taught in Tirana's schools in 1889. The patriotic club "Bashkimi" was founded in 1908 while on November 28, 1912, the national flag was raised in agreement with Ismail Qemali. During the Balkan Wars, the town was temporarily occupied by the Serbian army, and in 1914–15, it took part in uprising of the villages led by Haxhi Qamili.
Read more about this topic: Tirana County
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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