CERES Country Profile - Kosovo

7/30/2019 CERES Country Profile - Kosovo

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Country in a Box:

Republic of KosovoRepubl ika e Kosovs (Albanian) Republika Kosovo (Serbian)

A Teachers Guide Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European StudiesEdmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown Universityhttp://ceres.georgetown.edu

Stone Bridge in Prizren, a historic city in Kosovo
http://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/http://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/


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Kosovo: Facts at a Glance _______Text and map taken directly from Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: Kosovo .Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html

Country Name: Kosovo

Capital: Pristina

Background : Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the FirstBalkan War of 1912. After World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia inthe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) with status almost equivalent to that of arepublic under the 1974 S.F.R.Y. constitution.Despite legislative concessions, Albaniannationalism increased in the 1980s, which led to

riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. At thesame time, Serb nationalist leaders, such asSlobodan Milosevic, exploited Kosovo Serbclaims of maltreatment to secure votes fromsupporters, many of whom viewed Kosovo astheir cultural heartland. Under Milosevics leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in1989 that revoked Kosovo's status as anautonomous province of Serbia. KosovoAlbanian leaders responded in 1991 by

organizing a referendum that declared Kosovoindependent. Under Milosevic, Serbia carried outrepressive measures against the Albanians in theearly 1990s as the unofficial Kosovogovernment, led by Ibrahim Rugova, used passive resistance in an attempt to try to gaininternational assistance and recognition of an independent Kosovo. Albanians dissatisfied withRugova's passive strategy in the 1990s created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched aninsurgency. Starting in 1998, Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces under Milosevicconducted a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massiveexpulsions of ethnic Albanians. Approximately 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homesin Kosovo during this time. International attempts to mediate the conflict failed, and Milosevic'srejection of a proposed settlement led to a three-month NATO military operation against Serbia

beginning in March 1999 that forced Serbia to agree to withdraw its military and police forcesfrom Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitionaladministration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending adetermination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determineKosovo's final status. The negotiations ran in stages between 2006 and 2007, but ended withoutagreement between Belgrade and Pristina. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared


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Centered on a dark blue field is thegeographical shape of Kosovo in a goldcolor surmounted by six white, five-pointedstars arrayed in a slight arc; each starrepresents one of the major ethnic groupsof Kosovo: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani,

Kosovo independent. Since then, over 70 countries have recognized Kosovo, and it has joinedthe International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo'sindependence and in October 2008, it sought an advisory opinion from the International Court ofJustice (ICJ) on the legality under international law of Kosovo's declaration of independence.The ICJ released the advisory opinion in July 2010 affirming that Kosovo's declaration ofindependence did not violate general principles of international law, UN Security CouncilResolution 1244, or the Constitutive Framework. The opinion was closely tailored to Kosovo'sunique history and circumstances. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence, but the twocountries reached an agreement to normalize their relations in April 2013 through EU-facilitatedtalks and are currently engaged in the implementation process.

Location: Southeast Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia

Area: Total: 10,887 sq km Country comparison to the world: 169

Land: 10,887 sq kmWater: 0 sq km

Area - Comparative: Slightly larger than Delaware

Terrain: Flat fluvial basin with an elevation of400-700 m above sea level surrounded byseveral high mountain ranges with elevations of2,000 to 2,500 m

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m(on the Albanian border) Highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,656 m

Natural Resources: Nickel, lead, zinc,magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite

Population: 1,859,203 (July 2014 est.); Countrycomparison to the world: 151

Ethnic Groups: Albanians 92%, other (Serb, Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian)8% (2008)

Religions : Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Education Expenditures: 4.3% of GDP (2008); Country Comparison to the world: 98
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Although Kosovo is not a member of theEuropean Union, the country is using Euro asits currency.(http://www.ecb.int/euro/banknotes/html/index.en.html)

Government Type: Republic

Independence: 17 February 2008 (from Serbia)

Legal System: Evolving legal system; mixture of applicable Kosovo law, UNMIK laws and

regulations, and applicable laws of the Former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia that were ineffect in Kosovo as of 22 March 1989

Executive Branch: C hief of state: President Atifete Jahjaga (since 7 April 2011); Head ofGovernment: Prime Minister Hashim Thaci (since 9 January 2008)

Legislative Branch: Unicameral national Assembly (120 seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10seats guaranteed for ethnic Serbs, 10 seats guaranteed for other ethnic minorities; members toserve four-year terms)

Judicial Branch: Supreme Court; Appellate Court; basic courts; Constitutional Court

Political Parties and Leaders: Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Hashim Thaci];Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [IsaMustafa]; Alliance for a New Kosovo orAKR [Behgjet Pacolli]; Albanian ChristianDemocratic Party of Kosovo or PShDK[Marjan Demaj]; and others including anumber of minority parties.

National Anthem: Name: "Europe";Lyrics/music: None/Mendi Mengjiqi; Note:Adopted 2008; Kosovo chose to not includelyrics in its anthem so as not to offendminority ethnic groups in the country.

Economy - Overview : Over the past fewyears Kosovo's economy has shownsignificant progress in transitioning to amarket-based system and maintainingmacroeconomic stability, but it is still highlydependent on the international communityand the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - locatedmainly in Germany, Switzerland, and the Nordic countries - are estimated to account for about13-15% of GDP, and donor-financed activities and aid for another 7.5%. Kosovo's citizens arethe poorest in Europe with an average annual per capita income of only $2,800. Unemployment,around 40% of the population, is a significant problem that encourages outward migration and

black market activity. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the capital,Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common - the result of small plots, limited


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mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. With international assistance, Kosovo has beenable to privatize 50% of its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by number, and over 90% of SOEs

by value. Minerals and metals - including lignite, lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, aluminum,magnesium, and a wide variety of construction materials - once formed the backbone of industry,

but output has declined because of ageing equipment and insufficient investment. A limited and

unreliable electricity supply due to technical and financial problems is a major impediment toeconomic development, but Kosovo has received technical assistance to help improve accountingand controls. The official currency of Kosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is also used inSerb enclaves. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep core inflation low. Kosovo has one of themost open economies in the region, and continues to work with the international community onmeasures to improve the business environment and attract foreign investment. Kosovo hasmaintained a budget surplus as a result of efficient value added tax (VAT) collection at the

borders and inefficient budget execution. In order to help integrate Kosovo into regionaleconomic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central EuropeFree Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. However, Serbia and Bosnia have refused to recognizeKosovo's customs stamp or extend reduced tariff privileges for Kosovo products under CEFTA.

In July 2008, Kosovo received pledges of $1.9 billion from 37 countries in support of its reform priorities. In June 2009, Kosovo joined the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, andKosovo began servicing its share of the former Yugoslavia's debt. In order to help integrateKosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession tothe Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. Serbia and Bosnia previously had refusedto recognize Kosovo's customs stamp or extend reduced tariff privileges for Kosovo productsunder CEFTA, but both countries resumed trade with Kosovo in 2011. The official currency ofKosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is also used illegally in Serb enclaves. Kosovo's tie tothe euro has helped keep core inflation low. Kosovo maintained a budget surplus until 2011,when government expenditures climbed sharply. In 2013 Kosovo signed a Free TradeAgreement with Turkey and is negotiating liberalization of trade with EU as part of aStabilization and Association Agreement.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $14.11 billion (2013 est.)billion; Country comparison to theworld :146

GDP - Real Growth Rate: 2.5% (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 132

GDP - Per Capita (PPP): $7,600 (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 136

GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 12.9%; Industry: 22.6%; Services: 64.5% (2009 )

Labor Force: 800,000; Country comparison to the world: 149note: includes those estimated to be employed in the grey economy (2011 est.)

Agriculture - Products: Wheat, corn, berries, potatoes, peppers

Industries: Mineral mining, construction materials, base metals, leather, machinery, appliances.

Current Account Balance: -$919.7 million (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 118
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Exports - Commodities: Mining and processed metal products, scrap metals, leather products,

Exports - Partners: Italy 25.8%, Albania 14.6%, Macedonia 9.6%, China 5.5%, Gernamy5.4%, Switzerland 5.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2012 est.)

Imports - Partners: Germany 11.9%, Macedonia 11.5%, Serbia 11.1%, Italy 8.5%, Turkey 9%,China 6.4%, Albania 4.4% (2012 est.)

Exchange Rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar -0.7634 (2013 est.)


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A painting from 1870 by Adam Stefanovic titled Battle on Kosovo. It was a critical battle between the Ottoman Empireand the Serbian Principality in determining the future of the

region.

History of Kosovo _______Edited text taken from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322726/Kosovo

From late antiquity through the late Middle Ages, Balkans lay within the borderlands of theByzantine Empire. South Slav peoples settled throughout the peninsula from the 6th century ceforward. Meanwhile, an ethnically and linguistically distinct Albanian settlement already had

begun to develop in the southwest, in what is now Albania. As Byzantine power waned, theKosovo region became by the later Middle Ages the centre of the Serbian empire under the

Nemanji dynasty . Its population was largely Serb but did include an Albanian minority.

In 1389 at the Battle of Kosovo, an army of the Ottoman Empire defeated a Serbs and theirallies. By the mid-15th century the Turks had established direct rule over all of Serbia, includingKosovo. In the centuries after the Ottoman victory, a significant portion of Kosovo s OrthodoxSerb inhabitants emigrated northward and westward to other territories, while some converted toIslam. Following the repulse of an Austrian invasion in 1690, during which many Serbs sidedwith the invaders, an estimated 30,000 40,000 Serbs joined their patriarch in retreating with theAustrian army.

The ethnic balance of theregion was changing in favourof Albanian speakers, althoughit is not clear that theyconstituted a majority until the18th century. The abolition in1766 of the Serbian Orthodox

patriarchate at Pe (Pej)

substantially diminished theimportance of Kosovo as aSerbian cultural centre.

Nevertheless, Kosovo came tosymbolize Serbias golden ageof national greatness. Atradition of epic poetryemerged, in which Kosovorepresented Serbs nationalsuffering and aspirations. Atthe same time, ethnic Albanians

increasingly identified with theregion, and by the late 19th century Prizren had become an important centre of Albanian cultureand ethnic identity.

Serbia, which had won independence from the Ottomans in the 19th century, regained control ofKosovo in 1912, following the First Balkan War, but lost it again in 1915, during World War I. An occupation divided between Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria ended in 1918, leaving Kosovo to

be incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed
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League of Prizren Building in Prizren

League of Prizren is the first

Albanian nationalist organization.Formed at Kosovo, Prizren on July 1,1878, the league, supported by theOttoman Turks, tried to influence theCongress of Berlin, which wasformulating a peace settlementfollowing the Russo-Turkish War of1877 78. Congress threatened topartition Albania (part of theOttoman Empire) and transfer someof its districts to Montenegro, Serbia, and Greece. Unsuccessful in itsappeals to the congress, the league

used military force to preventMontenegro from annexing thenorthern Albanian districts assignedto it; the league also forced the areaacquired by Greece to be reduced. Theleague, however, was crushed by aTurkish army (by May 1881) that hadbeen sent into Albania when theTurkish government became annoyedwith the league s demands forpolitical autonomy. Despite its defeat,the league engaged in activitiesbetween 1878 and 1881 that not onlydemonstrated the existence of agenuine nationalist movement in

Albania but also gave impetus to thatmovement, which in 1912 broughtabout the declaration of theindependence of Albania.(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12553/Albanian-League)

Yugoslavia) as a part of Serbia. The advancing Serbian army forced thousands of KosovarAlbanians to flee during 1918 20, and many eventually emigrated to Turkey. The new Belgradegovernment then aided the migration of Serb colonists to Kosovo . The Serbs numbers increased,

but they remained a minority. During World War II, after the Axis powers occupied Yugoslaviain 1941, Kosovo was united with neighboring

Albania under Italian control. Kosovar Albaniansthen drove out or killed thousands of the interwarSerb colonists.

The post World War II Yugoslav government grantedKosovo the status of an autonomous region within therepublic of Serbia, but it also continued to suppressnationalist sentiments among Kosovar Albanians.From the mid-1960s, however, the Yugoslavgovernment followed policies that acknowledgedAlbanian ethnic identity and enabled Albanians to

advance in provincial and federal administrations.This Albanization of the province was alsostimulated by the increasing departure of Serbs forSerbia proper. The Albanian share of the populationrose from half in 1946 to four-fifths in 1991.

In the intense process of inter-republic bargaining foreconomic and political advantage in federalYugoslavia, politicians in Serbia began to resent theability of the Kosovars to act together withrepresentatives of other Yugoslav republics, evenagainst Serbian interests. The indignation felt bySerbs was capitalized on by Slobodan Miloevi , who

became president of the Serbian republic in 1989.Having also gained control of the communistleadership in the autonomous provinces of Vojvodinaand Kosovo and the republic of Montenegro i.e.,four of Yugoslavias eight constituent communist

parties Miloevi threatened to dominate thegovernment of Yugoslavia. Soon after becoming

president, he stripped Kosovo of its autonomy, andSerbia took direct control of the provincesadministration. After the provinces ethnic Albaniansstaged violent protests over these measures,Miloevi s ent Yugoslav military units to Kosovo in1990, dissolved the provinces assembly, and closedschools teaching in the Albanian language. In 1992 anew Yugoslav state was created; it consisted of onlySerbia and Montenegro and was dominated by theMiloevi regime. Kosovo s Albanians adopted a
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Hasim Thaci was born in 1968 inthe Drenica region, stronghold ofthe ethnic Albanian revolt againstSerbia. He was a student activist in1989-91, when ethnic Albanianstried to resist Belgrade's abolitionof Kosovo's autonomy throughpeaceful protests. Soon afterwardshe went underground to join theKLA(Kosovo Liberation Army),which was formed in 1993. Duringthe mid-1990s he also spent time inSwitzerland, a centre for radical

Albanian migr circles, where hepursued postgraduate studies inpolitics. Mr Thaci has been creditedwith reorganizing the KLA afterthe setbacks it suffered at thehands of Serbian security forces in

1998. He was on the KLA's generalstaff and was its most influentialpolitical official.

During all the years thatfollowed, Mr Thaci transformedhimself, cutting a respectable figureof composed implacability, breakingranks with his former commandersas he weeded out politicalopponents to secure anunchallenged position at the headof his party Democratic Party ofKosovo (DPK). He was elected

Prime Minister in 2007, and he wasthe leader to declare Kosovos

independence in 2008.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7133515.stm)

course of passive, nonviolent resistance to Serbian control.

The Kosovar Albanians became increasingly frustrated bythe failure of their noncooperation campaign to win for themindependence or even autonomy from the Serb-dominated

Yugoslav government. Though most Albanians remainedcommitted to nonviolence, the Kosovo Liberation Army(KLA), a small ethnic Albanian guerrilla organization thatemerged in 1996, began attacking Serbian police andofficials in Kosovo. The KLA stepped up its attacks in 1997,

prompting the Yugoslav military to stage a major crackdownin the Drenica region in early 1998. Yugoslav military drovethousands of Albanians from their homes, and the plight ofthese refugees had become a source of serious internationalconcern.

A cease-fire agreement negotiated in November 1998 brokedown by the end of the year, when the Yugoslav armylaunched a major offensive against the KLA. Talks held atRambouillet, France, in February 1999 secured no results bymid-March, and NATO soon began an aerial bombardmentof selected Serb targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Yugoslav andSerbian forces responded by initiating a widespreadcampaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovar Albaniansthat had driven hundreds of thousands of refugees intoAlbania, Macedonia, and Montenegro. The NATO

bombardment continued until June, when a peace agreementcalled for the withdrawal of Yugoslav and Serbian forcesfrom Kosovo and their replacement by NATO peacekeepingtroops.

Beginning in mid-1999, the United Nations (UN) sponsoredan interim administration in Kosovo. Kosovar refugees

began returning to the province, and the remaining Serbs began to flee the region. The Serb share of the populationthen fell below 10 percent. Talks initiated by the UN in 2005on the future of Kosovo led in 2007 to a plan, submitted byUN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, that laid the groundwork forself-rule but stopped just short of full independence. Rapidendorsement of the plan by Kosovar Albanians wascountered with intransigent opposition from the Serbiangovernment. Months of further talks between Serbian andKosovar leaders failed to resolve Kosovo s future status and

by early 2008, Kosovo was determined to secede.On Feb.17, 2008, Kosovo formally declared independence. Serbia, backed by Russia, called thedeclaration illegal.
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In November 2009, in what many viewed as a test of its commitment to democracy, Kosovo heldits first elections since independence. International monitors determined that the process,conducted on the municipal level, was peaceful and, in general, fair, despite the refusal of manyof the remaining Serbs to participate. By 2010 a new World Bank loan promised to address the

problem of real estate registry (a proper system was needed to ensure transparent propertytransactions and to protect minority property rights), but a June report of the Council of Europeexpressed continuing international concern over the wider judicial reform that would be neededto establish the rule of law. The same concerns informed the decision of the EU to extend theEulex mission for two years, through mid-2012. The July 2010 decision of the InternationalCourt of Justice to recognize Kosovo s declaration of independence was expected to strengthenthe determination of the Kosovar Albanian government and the Eulex authorities, as well toconsolidate Kosovos sovereignty within its declared borders largely if not unanimouslyrecognized by the international community.

Meanwhile, the status of the small Serb minority remained unsettled, and the government

in Pristina continued to face difficulty in establishing authority over the Serb-dominated areasnorth of the Ibr (Ibar) River. Obviously unsettled as well were relations with Serbia, still amajor trading partner. However, Serbias support of a UN resolution passed in September 2010,which called for EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo, offered some hope for thenormalization of relations.

Kosovos level of unemployment continued to exceed 40 percent, but economic growth persisted although at a reduced pace given the international financial crisis that began in 2008and the attendant drop in remittances sent back from abroad. Still missing was sizeable directforeign investment, which at some point will be needed to replace the substantial aid more than$3 billion since 1999 provided by the United States and Europe. A young population and avariety of mineral deposits are nonetheless reso urces to be tapped if Kosovos politicalleadership can respond to the challenges of domestic reform and international accommodation.

In November 2010 the Assembly of Kosovo overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidencein the countrys minority governm ent, led by Prime Minister Hashim Thai of the DemocraticParty of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovs; PDK), prompting the dissolution of the bodyand the scheduling of elections. The fall of the government followed the September resignationof Pres. Fatmir Sejdiu, who in October withdrew his Democratic League of Kosovo (LidhjaDemokratike e Kosovs; LDK) from the coalition that had governed Kosovo sinceindependence. The elections, held in December 2010, returned the PDK to power, and Thairemained prime minister. Although there were reports of widespread voting irregularities, arevote in January 2011 affirmed the earlier results.

Unrest continued in northern Kosovo throughout 2011, as ethnic Serbs, with the support ofSerbia, created parallel institutions in defiance of the Kosovar government in Pristina. EU policeand some 6,000 NATO troops maintained an uneasy peace in the region, and tensions sometimeserupted into violence. Nevertheless, negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia continuedthroughout the year in an effort to normalize relations between them. Althoughthe unemployment rate in Kosovo approached 50 percent and organized crime and corruption


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remained endemic problems, the European Commission determined in late 2012 that the countryhad made sufficient progress to begin negotiations for a Stabilisation and AssociationAgreement a critical step toward accession to the EU. In April 2013 Kosovo and Serbiareached a milestone agreement that granted a degree of autonomy to ethnic Serbs in northernKosovo in exchange for de facto recognition of Kosovos authority in the region. Serbian

negotiators stopped short of recognizing Kosovos independence, however.


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Timeline of Major Events in the History of Kosovo _______Text taken directly from BBC News. Timeline: Kosovo . Available at:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18331273

12th century - Kosovo lies at the heart of the Serbian empire, under the Nemanjic dynasty.

1389 - Epic Battle of Kosovo heralds more than 500 years of Turkish Ottoman rule.

1912 - Balkan Wars: Serbia regains control of Kosovo from the Turks.

1946 - Kosovo is absorbed into the Yugoslav federation after brief Italian control during WWII.

1974 - Yugoslav constitution recognizes the autonomous status of Kosovo.

1989 - Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic proceeds to strip rights of autonomy.

1990 - Albanian leaders declare independence from Serbia. Sacking of more than 100,000 ethnicAlbanian workers prompts general strike.

1991/1992 - Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia break away from Yugoslavia. War breaks out

1993-97 - Ethnic tension and armed unrest escalate.

1998 - Open conflict between Serb police and separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Serbforces launch a brutal crackdown. Civilians are driven from their homes.

1999 - NATO launches air strikes against Yugoslavia.

2008 - Kosovo declares independence. Serbia says declaration illegal. Europe's major powersand the United States recognize independence.

2010 - The International Court of Justice rules that Kosovo's declaration of independence fromSerbia in 2008 was not illegal under international law, in response to a complaint from Serbiathat it had violated its territorial integrity.

2011 December - Kosovo and Serbia reach agreement on regulating border crossings.

2012 September - The group of 23 EU countries, the US and Turkey overseeing Kosovo since2008 end its supervisory role over the government, although Nato-led peacekeepers and EU rule-of-law monitors remain.

2013 April - Kosovo and Serbia reach a landmark agreement on normalising their relations.

2013 June - The EU gives the green light to the opening of talks with Kosovo on an associationagreement.
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Tava e Prizrenit, a famous Kosovar dish

Ciftelia, A Kosovar Albanian instrument

Culture of KosovoKosovar CuisineText taken from http://www.spainexchange.com/guide/KV-gastronomy.htm

In light of the fact that Kosovo is a very culturally and ethnically diverse country, the Kosovarcuisine is expected to be a rich mixture of all the cultures that compose the country. Thecountrys cuisine has diverse influences from the Albanian, Turkish , Italian, Greek, Serbian, andCroatian cuisines which characterize the unique Kosovar cuisine.

Like any other Balkan state, Kosovo is known for its pastry (especially pies), cheese, meat, oil,and pickled vegetables. This is why Kosovo shares some of its famous recipes with other Balkancountries.

The country is known for a wide variety of pies. The most favorite pie especially during thesummer is the Flija where its pieces are arrangedin a circular manner as if imitating the suns rays.This is a symbol of the pagan tradition ofworshiping the sun. The unique Christmas pie is amust-have in every Kosovar table duringChristmas dinner. Another pie called Krelane isanother favorite which is a pie without filling.

Kosovars are knownfor making certainfood for certainseasons. Days beforethe coming of winter,

people in Kosovomake the Pasterna, a

dish made of dried beef and pickled vegetables and is stored for thewinter. Another dish is the Hajvar which are fried red peppers,

peeled and ground then boiled in oil, salted slowly for hours, thenstored in a cool place.

A popular dish called Proja is a cornbread made of cornstarch, milk,flour, yoghurt, and cheese. The Tursije is a popular side dish whichis also eaten as a salad

The ArtsText taken fromhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322726/Kosovo/296738/The-arts

Heroic epics and ballads as well as oral prose traditionally played animportant part in relaying the history and myths associated with theethnic groups of Kosovo. Recitation often was accompanied by the
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The Patriarchate of Pec , a group ofchurches in the immediate neighborhood ofPec and at the entrance to the Rugovo gorge,is one of the most important monuments ofthe Serbian past. It was the centre of theSerbian church for centuries. From its originin the 13th century the Patriarchateattracted learned divines, reputed writersand gifted artists, and all of them have lefttraces of their work in it. It is therefore notonly the centre of the Serbian Church, butalso an important repository of its cultural

sounds of traditional instruments such as the single-stringed gusla (Albanian: lahuta ; Serbian: gusle ) or, among Albanians, the larger two-stringed ifteli . These stories and songs remainimportant underpinnings of ethnic identity for both Albanians and Serbs.

One of the earliest examples of art identified within Kosovo is a 6,000-year-old small terra-cotta

figure known as the Goddess on the Throne . Discovered near Pristina in the mid-20th century, itserves as a symbol of Kosovo. Kosovo is rich in folk art dating from the more recent past aswell. Snake symbols are a common feature of Albanian architecture and decoration, and a pagan

belief that snakes protect households survives to the present day. One of the best-known Kosovarartists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is Sokol Beqiri, whose works include provocative

photography, video, and performance pieces.

There was relatively little written literature in theAlbanian language until the 20th century. Albanianliterature in Kosovo proceeded to develop differentlythan it did in Albania, where the communist

government imposed more severe ideologicalconstraints. Among the best-known KosovarAlbanian writers of the 20th and 21st centuries arethe novelist, playwright, and poet Eqrem Basha; the

poet and critic Sabri Hamiti; the poet Ali Podrimja;the scholar, novelist, and political figure RexhepQosja; the novelist Zejnullah Rrahmani; the poetAzem Shkreli; and the poet, doctor, and politicalactivist Flora Brovina, who gained renown during herimprisonment by Yugoslav authorities in 1999 2000.Among Kosovar Serb writers, the 20th-centurynovelist and literary critic Vukain Filipovi wasrespected by the Albanian and Serb communitiesalike.In the years following the 1998 99 conflict,Kosovo s young population helped to revive the artsscene. Pristina in particular became a vibrant centrefor art, drama, and music. Folk, classical, andcontemporary popular music thrived.

Cultural Institutions

Among Kosovo s most significant historic sites are the medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteriesof Deani (Albanian: Dean), Graanica (Graanica; near Pristina), and Pe (Pej), as well as theChurch of the Virgin of Ljevia (near Prizren). In 2004 the Deani monastery was design ated aUNESCO World Heritage site; the others were inscribed in 2006. Two of the oldest Muslim sitesare the 15th-century arshia and Mbretit (Fatih) mosques in Pristina. During the 1998 99conflict, dozens of Muslim sites were destroyed, including the 18th-century Red Mosque in Pej
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/249759/guslahttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/212096/folk-arthttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12542/Albanian-languagehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12556/Albanian-literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12556/Albanian-literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/470261/popular-musichttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/240420/Gracanica-Monasteryhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/240420/Gracanica-Monasteryhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/648327/World-Heritage-sitehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/648327/World-Heritage-sitehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/240420/Gracanica-Monasteryhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/470261/popular-musichttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12556/Albanian-literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12556/Albanian-literaturehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12542/Albanian-languagehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/212096/folk-arthttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/249759/gusla


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Sinan Pasha Mosque: Prizren's mostprominent mosque, towering over Shadrvansquare from a raised level, is from 1615.Lovers of Ottoman architecture admire it forits strength, compactness, gracefulness andelegance, and know that the type ofarchitecture represents a rarity in Islamicart. The mosque is delicately decorated withgeometrical designs, still life paintings andcurtains. A lengthy restoration project thatended in 2010 saw the building completelyrenovated. It was believed that the stonesused to build the mosque originated from theHoly Archangels' Monastery, and in 1919Serbian authorities started to dismantle themosque in order to rebuild the monastery.The porch stones were removed, with thecolumns thrown in the river, but massprotests stopped the demolition, and theporch was finally rebuilt in 2009.

and the Ottoman-era bazaar in Gjakov(akovica). Following the conflict, revengeattacks damaged or destroyed a number ofOrthodox churches, although the World Heritagesites survived.

Pristina is home to the Kosovo Museum (2002),the Academy of Sciences and Arts (1975), andthe National Theatre (1946; originally located inPrizren). Construction of an opera house, namedafter the pre-independence Kosovar Albanianleader Ibrahim Rugova, began in the capital in2009. Many of Kosovo s cultural andarchaeological artifacts remain in Belgrade,Serbia, where they were taken prior to the 1998 99 conflict.

Sports and Recreation

Skiing, football (soccer), basketball, wrestling,table tennis, and judo are among the sports

popular in Kosovo. However, because Kosovo s independence was not universally recognized, theInternational Olympic Committee and a numberof other international sports organizations deniedKosovar applications for membership. In theearly 21st century, ski resorts were under repair

following years of neglect and war damage.Kosovo created a network of protected naturalareas, including Sharr Mountains National Park,located along the border with Macedonia.

Media and Publishing

Freedom of the press was enshrined in the 2008constitution. The publicly funded broadcasterRadio Television Kosovo provides television andradio programming, primarily in the Albanianlanguage. There are also a number of privatelyowned television and radio broadcasters. Themajor newspaper is the Albanian-language Koha

Ditore (The Daily Times); other Albanian publi cations include Zri (The Voice), Kosova Sot (Kosovo Today), and Epoka e Re (The New Epoch). The Serb community relies on Serbian -language media from local outlets as well as from Serbia.
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_______Taken from Brown, C., Eight Folk Tales from the Prizren District, Folklore, Vol. 59,

No.1(Mar., 1948), pp. 34-42.

Once upon a time there was a poor man who used to tend the village cattle. He noticed that in theevenings his own cow came back with no milk. So he watched it and found that a tortoise wastaking the milk. He caught the tortoise, took it home and put it in the cupboard. When he camehome next evening he found his cottage all in order and a meal spread ready for him. One day heasked a friend to look after the cattle for him and stayed hidden in the cottage to see whathappened. A young woman came out of the tortoise's shell, put everything in order, went to fetchwater and made bread. He caught her and threw the tortoise's shell into the fire. Then sheremained a woman all the time and he took her for his wife. After a time he went away with hisfriend to earn money. And his friend wagered that he would seduce his wife. Then the friendwent to the house and asked the old woman who was in charge to let him stay the night. She didnot let him into his friend's wife's room, but gave him another room to sleep in. He wanted atoken so that he could win the wager and so he bored a hole through the wall. Then he saw thatthe woman had a star-shaped mark on her breast and that when she lay down to sleep she drank aglass of sherbet.

Next day he rejoined his friend and told him that he had seduced his wife and, as proof, that shehad a star on her breast and drank sherbet before going to sleep. Then the man went home andtook his wife and led her to a wood a long way off. There they sat down to rest and she went tosleep. He thought of killing her, but was sorry, so he left her there. When she wakened it wasdark; she was afraid and climbed a tree. There was a fountain near, and people passing by. Sheheard them say that if the men who were building the bridge were to take sand from this spot the

bridge would hold and not fall down any more at night. And she also heard them say that theEmperor's daughter, who was bald, could be cured by the water from the fountain. When she hadlistened to all this, she took water and sand from the spot and started off on the road. On the wayshe met a shepherd and asked him to change clothes with her, which he did. Then she went to the

bridge- builders and asked how their work was going. They said We work every day on buildingthe bri dge, but every night it falls again." Then she gave them the sand and said, Build it withthis, and it will fall down no more." She travelled farther and went to the Emperor and said, Ive

brought a cure for your daughter; let her wash in this water." The Emperor's daughter was curedat once, and the Emperor asked the woman what reward she wanted. She said she wanted to bemade a pasha in the place where her husband was, and the Emperor granted her wish. Then the

pasha built a fountain and had her likeness taken and placed on it. And she gave an order for agendarme to stand beside the fountain, and to come and tell her when passers-by commented orenquired about it. When the man who said he had seduced her came by he first drank water andthen, seeing the likeness, said How does this woman's likeness come to be here? The gendarmeled him off to the pasha.

Her husband came by too and drank water and said, How can my wife's likeness come to behere? And the gendarme took him off too. The pasha interrog ated them both, asking the firstone what he had said about her and why he had lied. Then she ordered that he should be put todeath. Her husband she made pasha instead of herself, and then she lived with him as his wife.

Folklore: A Tale from Prizren


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Select Bibliography of Sources on Kosovo

Booth, Ken. The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions. London; Portland, OR:Frank Cass, 2001.

Boyar, Ebru. Ottomans, Turks and the Balkans: Empire Lost, Relations Altered. London: TaurisAcademic Studies, 2007.

Brown, L. Carl. Imperial Legacy: The Ottoman Imprint on the Middle East. New York:Columbia University Press, c1996.

Buchanan, Donna A. (ed.). Balkan Popular Culture and the Ottoman Ecumene: Music, Imageand Regional Political Discourse. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007.

Elsie, Robert. Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2011.

Gawrych, George W. The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913. London; New York: I.B. Tauris; New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Hall, Richard C. The Modern Balkans: A History. London: Reaktion Books, 2011.

Lampe, John R. and Mark Mazower (eds.). Ideologies and National Identities: The Case ofTwentieth Century Southeastern Europe. Budapest; New York: Central European University

press, 2004.

Madgeura, Alexandru and Martin Gordon(eds.). The Wars of the Balkan Peninsula: theirMedieval Origins. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2008.

Malcolm, Noel. Kosovo: A Short History. New York: New York University Press, 1998.

Perritt, Jr., Henry H. The Road to Independence for Kosovo: A Chronicle of the Ahtisaari Plan. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Perritt, Jr., Henry H. Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside of an Insurgency. Urbana: Universityof Illinois Press, c2008.

Ramet, Sabrina P.. Balkan babel: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia from the Death of Tito to theFall of Milosevic. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2002.

Skendi, Stavro. The Albanian National Awakening, 1878-1912. Princeton, NJ: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1967.

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