Historical Background
Some historians believed that epic figure of Alija Đerđelez was inspired by Ali Bey Mihaloglu an Ottoman military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo. According to Ottoman census of 1485 he was in charge for nahiya of Dobrun near Višegrad as his timar. There is a turbe (mausoleum) in village Gerzovo (near Mrkonjić Grad, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina) which according to the legend is burial place of Gjergj Elez Alia.
The first written record of epic figure Gjergj Elez Alia (in form of Ali beg) was a form of South Slavic epic and ballad poetry bugarštica The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despot, recorded by Đuro Matei at the end of 17th or beginning of 18th century. In songs recorded in Erlangen Manuscript Djerzelez is mentioned in form of Balibeg.
Alija Djerzelez was epic hero of Bosnian Krajina (frontier region, krajište) from the end of 15th century. Songs which emerged in South Slavic milieu were transmitted by bilingual singers to Albanian milieu. Djerzelez Alija from Bosnian songs had became Gjergj Elez Alia in Albanian song. He is one of many Muslim heroes of South Slavic poetry who exists in Albanian poetry.
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