Llap | |
|---|---|
Historical and geographical region ofKosovo | |
 Interactive map of Llap | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| Municipalities | Podujevë |
| Area | |
• Total | 632 km2 (244 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,770 m (5,810 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 550 m (1,800 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 88,499 |
| • Density | 133.5/km2 (346/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Llapjan (Male) Llapjane (Female) |
TheLlap Region (Albanian:Krahina e Llapit,lit. 'Region of Llap';Serbian:Лабско поље,romanized: Labsko polje,lit. 'Plain of Lab') is a region located in the north-eastern part ofKosovo.[1] Llap in the broadest sense includes the watershed of theLlap River. TheLlap water collection begins in the mountains ofKopaonik in the north and west and its source is considered to be the village ofPollatë, and ends by joining theSitnica river inLumadh, municipality ofVushtrri, in the north-west ofPristina.[2] The topographic watershed of theLlap River covers an area of 945.4 km2 (365.0 sq mi).
This area approximately corresponds to the administrative territory of the municipality ofPodujevë in the current division of Kosovo. Podujevë as a city in the Llap region is the most important economic, political, administrative, educational, cultural and health center. About 120 villages gravitate to this region, although some of them administratively belong to the municipalities ofPristina,Vushtrri orMitrovica. The municipality of Podujevë includes 78 villages.
The territory of Llap is named after thehydronymLlap (Albanian name for theLlap River). Many scholars take the hydronym Lab as ancient and bring it from an alb-, from which lab-, alp- could emerge.[3]
The Llap region is located on north-east part of Kosovo. The average elevation of Llap is 825m (Anonymos, 1995). Through this region pass the main road and border which connectsKosovo andSerbia. Along Llap region since Illyrian-Roman period, passed an important Balkan routeLissus–Naissus (Lezhë–Niš) orVia De Zenta, which connected theAdriatic Coast with central part ofBalkan Peninsula. In north-east and east of the region are two important saddles: Përpellac Peak (813m) and Merdar Peak (647m oversea level) (Anonymos, 1995).[citation needed]
Llap region as a microgeographical whole is divided into three parts:
This region was ruled by anIllyrian tribe,Dardani where theKingdom of Dardania took place. The south part of the region, the Gallap of Llap, were inhabited byGalabri tribe. This may prove the origin of the toponym Gallap, which is thought to come from the name of this tribe.Strabo writes that they are a "people of the Dardaniatae, in whose land is an ancient city". In the village ofGllamnik an ancient locality has been found, who is believed to beVendenis. This locality belongs to theRoman period (I-IV centuries) and that of late antiquity (IV-VI centuries). Although the excavations at this site were quite modest (a total of 534 m2 or only 2% of the area was excavated), they shed light on traces of Roman antiquity where special discoveries such as theOrpheus Mosaic, unique in the Balkans and beyond.[6]
Abbot of Diokle from the second half of the 12th century mentions that Rashka or Serbia extended until Arberia(Albania), the region of present day Llap.[7]
Considering the fact that Kosovo was under Ottoman Rule, alsoPodujevë remained under Ottoman Rule from 1455 to 1912. In the first Ottoman records of theSanjak of Viçitrina in 1455, we encounter theNahija of Llap which was the second largest nahija in this sanjak. Nahija had 219 settlements, which includes some villages of today's municipalities of:Mitrovica,Vushtrri,Skenderaj, about 90% ofPristina and Podujevë as a whole. In theDefter ofJizya of 1485, Llapi had 5,952 Christian families while in 1488/89 Llapi had 7,399 households. In the Ottoman records of 1566–74, Nahija of Llap was divided into 4 smaller nahijas: Llap,Gollak,Belasnica and Trepča. After the partition, Nahija of Llap extended to the present territory of the municipality of Podujevë as a whole, and a large part of the municipality of Pristina, to the southernmost villages of this municipality.[citation needed]
In 1487, Albanian toponyms such asArbanas were mentioned in the Nahija of Llapi.[8] Ottoman writerEvliya Celebi mentioned the Llap River as having "its source in Albania" and joining other rivers before flowing into theDanube, during one of his travels to Kosovo in the 1660s.[9]
In the 18th century the Nahija of Llap was part of theSanjak of Pristina. At this time, Llapi lost many residents due to two plagues who stroke the place. During theAustro-Ottoman war the Austrian army destroyed and robbed the city of Podujevë twice. During theFirst Serbian Uprising, the Serbian army got into the village of Reçica and killed 30 people ofDemë Ahmeti's house, an Albanian national hero. This happened at 28 June 1811, during thefeast of Eid. The rebellion against Ottomans started when SultanAbdyl Mejid proclaimed “The Saint Decree of Julhane” in 1839 which increased taxes and so it brought many rebellions. The population of Llapi fought against these reforms and during 1843 the Ottomans temporary left Llapi and started to organize the reoccupation. The rebels gathered many soldiers from the surrounding region and they won the battles against Ottomans, taking Pristina and stimulating a bigger rebellion in other regions. This rebellion was extinguished in 1847. When Serbia acquired theSanjak of Niš in 1877, many Albanians started to leave their houses and to come to the other parts of Kosovo, where Llapi was tone of their first destinations. There is not a single village in Podujevë whereMuhajirs or migrants cannot be found, furthermore, they established new villages. Albanians of Llapi, since theFirst League of Prizren did not pay taxes to the Ottomans. Afterwards, the Ottomans built a military cantonment during 1892 and 1899 since they detected Serbian Army movements near the border. The Albanian rebellion against Ottomans during 1906 was primary organized in the Llap region.Another rebellion was that of 1910 which started in the Llap region. The relationships between the residents and theSublime Porte were becoming very fraught and when SultanMehmed V came to visit Kosovo, very few Llapi residents were present. Llapi is also known for its cooperation withIsa Boletini, who during 1911 operated around this zone. Many soldiers from around the villages of Llapi and Gallapi pledged loyalty to Boletini in 1912, in the Bradash pledge. Their goal was to initiate thegeneral Albanian rebellion against Ottoman Rule and they were part of the rebellion until it ended.[citation needed]
In 1997, theKosovo Liberation Army was formed, resulting in a Yugoslav-ledcampaign against it in 1998. In response, NATO began amilitary campaign so it could protect the civilian population. During theKosovo War, the town was the site of thePodujevë massacre in March 1999 in which 14 Kosovo Albanian women and children were killed by Serbian paramilitary forces.[10] After the war, the process of establishing a Municipal Assembly began in 2002. Later, on 17 February 2008, Kosovodeclared its independence.
Through this part of the plain flows the Llap river, which has its source in Albania, (8) joins the ..... river at the foot of the aforementioned fortress of Mitrovica, and then joins the Morava river, which flows into the Danube.
