Country in a Box:

Republic of Kosovo
Republika e Kosovs (Albanian)

Republika Kosovo (Serbian)

Stone Bridge in Prizren, a historic city in Kosovo

A Teachers Guide
Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
http://ceres.georgetown.edu
1

Kosovo in a Box: Table of Contents

Facts at a Glance

3-7

History of Kosovo

8-12

Timeline of Major Events in the History of Kosovo

Culture of Kosovo

13
14-16

Folklore: A Tale from Prizren

17

Additional Resources

18

The NEWBORN Obelisk unveiled at the Kosovo declaration of independence

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 First
Balkan War of 1912. After World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province of Serbia in
the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.) with status almost equivalent to that of a
republic under the 1974 S.F.R.Y. constitution.
Despite legislative concessions, Albanian
nationalism increased in the 1980s, which led to
riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. At the
same time, Serb nationalist leaders, such as
Slobodan Milosevic, exploited Kosovo Serb
claims of maltreatment to secure votes from
supporters, many of whom viewed Kosovo as
their cultural heartland. Under Milosevics
leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in
1989 that revoked Kosovo's status as an
autonomous province of Serbia. Kosovo
Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by
organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo
independent. Under Milosevic, Serbia carried out
repressive measures against the Albanians in the
early 1990s as the unofficial Kosovo
government, led by Ibrahim Rugova, used passive resistance in an attempt to try to gain
international assistance and recognition of an independent Kosovo. Albanians dissatisfied with
Rugova's passive strategy in the 1990s created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an
insurgency. Starting in 1998, Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces under Milosevic
conducted a brutal counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive
expulsions of ethnic Albanians. Approximately 800,000 Albanians were forced from their homes
in Kosovo during this time. International attempts to mediate the conflict failed, and Milosevic's
rejection 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 forces
from Kosovo. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional
administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a
determination of Kosovo's future status. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine
Kosovo's final status. The negotiations ran in stages between 2006 and 2007, but ended without
agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared
3

Kosovo independent. Since then, over 70 countries have recognized Kosovo, and it has joined
the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's
independence and in October 2008, it sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of
Justice (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 of
independence did not violate general principles of international law, UN Security Council
Resolution 1244, or the Constitutive Framework. The opinion was closely tailored to Kosovo's
unique history and circumstances. Serbia continues to reject Kosovo's independence, but the two
countries reached an agreement to normalize their relations in April 2013 through EU-facilitated
talks 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 km
Water: 0 sq km
Area - Comparative: Slightly larger than Delaware
Terrain: Flat fluvial basin with an elevation of
400-700 m above sea level surrounded by
several high mountain ranges with elevations of
2,000 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
Centered on a dark blue field is the
geographical shape of Kosovo in a gold
color surmounted by six white, five-pointed
stars arrayed in a slight arc; each star
represents one of the major ethnic groups
of Kosovo: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani,
Roma, and Bosniaks

Natural Resources: Nickel, lead, zinc,

magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite

Population: 1,859,203 (July 2014 est.); Country

comparison 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

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 in
effect in Kosovo as of 22 March 1989
Executive Branch: Chief of state: President Atifete Jahjaga (since 7 April 2011); Head of
Government: Prime Minister Hashim Thaci (since 9 January 2008)
Legislative Branch: Unicameral national Assembly (120 seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10
seats guaranteed for ethnic Serbs, 10 seats guaranteed for other ethnic minorities; members to
serve 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 [Isa
Mustafa]; Alliance for a New Kosovo or
AKR [Behgjet Pacolli]; Albanian Christian
Democratic Party of Kosovo or PShDK
[Marjan Demaj]; and others including a
number of minority parties.
National Anthem: Name: "Europe";
Lyrics/music: None/Mendi Mengjiqi; Note:
Adopted 2008; Kosovo chose to not include
lyrics in its anthem so as not to offend
minority ethnic groups in the country.
Economy - Overview: Over the past few
Although Kosovo is not a member of the
years Kosovo's economy has shown
European Union, the country is using Euro as
significant progress in transitioning to a
its currency.
(http://www.ecb.int/euro/banknotes/html/index.
market-based system and maintaining
en.html)
macroeconomic stability, but it is still highly
dependent on the international community
and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - located
mainly in Germany, Switzerland, and the Nordic countries - are estimated to account for about
13-15% of GDP, and donor-financed activities and aid for another 7.5%. Kosovo's citizens are
the 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
5

mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. With international assistance, Kosovo has been
able 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 to
economic development, but Kosovo has received technical assistance to help improve accounting
and controls. The official currency of Kosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is also used in
Serb enclaves. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep core inflation low. Kosovo has one of the
most open economies in the region, and continues to work with the international community on
measures to improve the business environment and attract foreign investment. Kosovo has
maintained 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 regional
economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe
Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. However, Serbia and Bosnia have refused to recognize
Kosovo'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, and
Kosovo began servicing its share of the former Yugoslavia's debt. In order to help integrate
Kosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to
the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. Serbia and Bosnia previously had refused
to recognize Kosovo's customs stamp or extend reduced tariff privileges for Kosovo products
under CEFTA, but both countries resumed trade with Kosovo in 2011. The official currency of
Kosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is also used illegally in Serb enclaves. Kosovo's tie to
the 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 Trade
Agreement with Turkey and is negotiating liberalization of trade with EU as part of a
Stabilization and Association Agreement.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $14.11 billion (2013 est.)billion; Country comparison to the
world: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: 149
note: 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
6

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%, Gernamy
5.4%, 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.)

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 the
Byzantine Empire. South Slav peoples settled throughout the peninsula from the 6th century ce
forward. 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, the
Kosovo 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 their
allies. By the mid-15th century the Turks had established direct rule over all of Serbia, including
Kosovo. In the centuries after the Ottoman victory, a significant portion of Kosovos Orthodox
Serb inhabitants emigrated northward and westward to other territories, while some converted to
Islam. Following the repulse of an Austrian invasion in 1690, during which many Serbs sided
with the invaders, an estimated 30,00040,000 Serbs joined their patriarch in retreating with the
Austrian army.
The ethnic balance of the
region was changing in favour
of Albanian speakers, although
it is not clear that they
constituted a majority until the
18th century. The abolition in
1766 of the Serbian Orthodox
patriarchate at Pe (Pej)
substantially diminished the
importance of Kosovo as a
Serbian cultural centre.
Nevertheless, Kosovo came to
symbolize Serbias golden age
of national greatness. A
tradition of epic poetry
emerged, in which Kosovo
A painting from 1870 by Adam Stefanovic titled Battle on
Kosovo. It was a critical battle between the Ottoman Empire
represented Serbs national
and the Serbian Principality in determining the future of the
suffering and aspirations. At
region.
the same time, ethnic Albanians
increasingly identified with the
region, and by the late 19th century Prizren had become an important centre of Albanian culture
and ethnic identity.
Serbia, which had won independence from the Ottomans in the 19th century, regained control of
Kosovo 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
8

Yugoslavia) as a part of Serbia. The advancing Serbian army forced thousands of Kosovar
Albanians to flee during 191820, and many eventually emigrated to Turkey. The new Belgrade
government 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 Yugoslavia
in 1941, Kosovo was united with neighboring
Albania under Italian control. Kosovar Albanians
then drove out or killed thousands of the interwar
Serb colonists.
The post World War II Yugoslav government granted
Kosovo the status of an autonomous region within the
republic of Serbia, but it also continued to suppress
nationalist sentiments among Kosovar Albanians.
From the mid-1960s, however, the Yugoslav
government followed policies that acknowledged
Albanian ethnic identity and enabled Albanians to
advance in provincial and federal administrations.
This Albanization of the province was also
stimulated by the increasing departure of Serbs for
Serbia proper. The Albanian share of the population
rose from half in 1946 to four-fifths in 1991.
In the intense process of inter-republic bargaining for
economic and political advantage in federal
Yugoslavia, politicians in Serbia began to resent the
ability of the Kosovars to act together with
representatives of other Yugoslav republics, even
against Serbian interests. The indignation felt by
Serbs was capitalized on by Slobodan Miloevi, who
became president of the Serbian republic in 1989.
Having also gained control of the communist
leadership in the autonomous provinces of Vojvodina
and Kosovo and the republic of Montenegroi.e.,
four of Yugoslavias eight constituent communist
partiesMiloevi threatened to dominate the
government of Yugoslavia. Soon after becoming
president, he stripped Kosovo of its autonomy, and
Serbia took direct control of the provinces
administration. After the provinces ethnic Albanians
staged violent protests over these measures,
Miloevi sent Yugoslav military units to Kosovo in
1990, dissolved the provinces assembly, and closed
schools teaching in the Albanian language. In 1992 a
new Yugoslav state was created; it consisted of only
Serbia and Montenegro and was dominated by the
Miloevi regime. Kosovos Albanians adopted a

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 the
Ottoman Turks, tried to influence the
Congress of Berlin, which was
formulating a peace settlement
following the Russo-Turkish War of
187778. Congress threatened to
partition Albania (part of the
Ottoman Empire) and transfer some
of its districts to Montenegro, Serbia,
and Greece. Unsuccessful in its
appeals to the congress, the league
used military force to prevent
Montenegro from annexing the
northern Albanian districts assigned
to it; the league also forced the area
acquired by Greece to be reduced. The
league, however, was crushed by a
Turkish army (by May 1881) that had
been sent into Albania when the
Turkish government became annoyed
with the leagues demands for
political autonomy. Despite its defeat,
the league engaged in activities
between 1878 and 1881 that not only
demonstrated the existence of a
genuine nationalist movement in
Albania but also gave impetus to that
movement, which in 1912 brought
about the declaration of the
independence of Albania.
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecke
d/topic/12553/Albanian-League)

course of passive, nonviolent resistance to Serbian control.

Hasim Thaci was born in 1968 in

the Drenica region, stronghold of
the ethnic Albanian revolt against
Serbia. He was a student activist in
1989-91, when ethnic Albanians
tried to resist Belgrade's abolition
of Kosovo's autonomy through
peaceful protests. Soon afterwards
he went underground to join the
KLA(Kosovo Liberation Army),
which was formed in 1993. During
the mid-1990s he also spent time in
Switzerland, a centre for radical
Albanian migr circles, where he
pursued postgraduate studies in
politics. Mr Thaci has been credited
with reorganizing the KLA after
the setbacks it suffered at the
hands of Serbian security forces in
1998. He was on the KLA's general
staff and was its most influential
political official.
During all the years that
followed, Mr Thaci transformed
himself, cutting a respectable figure
of composed implacability, breaking
ranks with his former commanders
as he weeded out political
opponents to secure an
unchallenged position at the head
of his party Democratic Party of
Kosovo (DPK). He was elected
Prime Minister in 2007, and he was
the leader to declare Kosovos
independence in 2008.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7
133515.stm)

The Kosovar Albanians became increasingly frustrated by

the failure of their noncooperation campaign to win for them
independence or even autonomy from the Serb-dominated
Yugoslav government. Though most Albanians remained
committed to nonviolence, the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA), a small ethnic Albanian guerrilla organization that
emerged in 1996, began attacking Serbian police and
officials in Kosovo. The KLA stepped up its attacks in 1997,
prompting the Yugoslav military to stage a major crackdown
in the Drenica region in early 1998. Yugoslav military drove
thousands of Albanians from their homes, and the plight of
these refugees had become a source of serious international
concern.
A cease-fire agreement negotiated in November 1998 broke
down by the end of the year, when the Yugoslav army
launched a major offensive against the KLA. Talks held at
Rambouillet, France, in February 1999 secured no results by
mid-March, and NATO soon began an aerial bombardment
of selected Serb targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Yugoslav and
Serbian forces responded by initiating a widespread
campaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovar Albanians
that had driven hundreds of thousands of refugees into
Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro. The NATO
bombardment continued until June, when a peace agreement
called for the withdrawal of Yugoslav and Serbian forces
from Kosovo and their replacement by NATO peacekeeping
troops.

Beginning in mid-1999, the United Nations (UN) sponsored

an 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 population
then fell below 10 percent. Talks initiated by the UN in 2005
on the future of Kosovo led in 2007 to a plan, submitted by
UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, that laid the groundwork for
self-rule but stopped just short of full independence. Rapid
endorsement of the plan by Kosovar Albanians was
countered with intransigent opposition from the Serbian
government. Months of further talks between Serbian and
Kosovar leaders failed to resolve Kosovos future status and
by early 2008, Kosovo was determined to secede.On Feb.
17, 2008, Kosovo formally declared independence. Serbia, backed by Russia, called the
declaration illegal.
10

In November 2009, in what many viewed as a test of its commitment to democracy, Kosovo held
its 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 many
of 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 property
transactions and to protect minority property rights), but a June report of the Council of Europe
expressed continuing international concern over the wider judicial reform that would be needed
to establish the rule of law. The same concerns informed the decision of the EU to extend the
Eulex mission for two years, through mid-2012. The July 2010 decision of the International
Court of Justice to recognize Kosovos declaration of independence was expected to strengthen
the determination of the Kosovar Albanian government and the Eulex authorities, as well to
consolidate Kosovos sovereignty within its declared borderslargely if not unanimously
recognized 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 areas
north of the Ibr (Ibar) River. Obviously unsettled as well were relations with Serbia, still a
major 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 the
normalization of relations.
Kosovos level of unemployment continued to exceed 40 percent, but economic growth
persistedalthough at a reduced pace given the international financial crisis that began in 2008
and the attendant drop in remittances sent back from abroad. Still missing was sizeable direct
foreign investment, which at some point will be needed to replace the substantial aidmore than
$3 billion since 1999provided by the United States and Europe. A young population and a
variety of mineral deposits are nonetheless resources to be tapped if Kosovos political
leadership can respond to the challenges of domestic reform and international accommodation.
In November 2010 the Assembly of Kosovo overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence
in the countrys minority government, led by Prime Minister Hashim Thai of the Democratic
Party of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovs; PDK), prompting the dissolution of the body
and the scheduling of elections. The fall of the government followed the September resignation
of Pres. Fatmir Sejdiu, who in October withdrew his Democratic League of Kosovo (Lidhja
Demokratike e Kosovs; LDK) from the coalition that had governed Kosovo since
independence. The elections, held in December 2010, returned the PDK to power, and Thai
remained prime minister. Although there were reports of widespread voting irregularities, a
revote in January 2011 affirmed the earlier results.
Unrest continued in northern Kosovo throughout 2011, as ethnic Serbs, with the support of
Serbia, created parallel institutions in defiance of the Kosovar government in Pristina. EU police
and some 6,000 NATO troops maintained an uneasy peace in the region, and tensions sometimes
erupted into violence. Nevertheless, negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia continued
throughout the year in an effort to normalize relations between them. Although
the unemployment rate in Kosovo approached 50 percent and organized crime and corruption
11

remained endemic problems, the European Commission determined in late 2012 that the country
had made sufficient progress to begin negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association
Agreementa critical step toward accession to the EU. In April 2013 Kosovo and Serbia
reached a milestone agreement that granted a degree of autonomy to ethnic Serbs in northern
Kosovo in exchange for de facto recognition of Kosovos authority in the region. Serbian
negotiators stopped short of recognizing Kosovos independence, however.

12

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 ethnic
Albanian 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). Serb
forces 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 powers
and the United States recognize independence.
2010 - The International Court of Justice rules that Kosovo's declaration of independence from
Serbia in 2008 was not illegal under international law, in response to a complaint from Serbia
that 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 since
2008 end its supervisory role over the government, although Nato-led peacekeepers and EU ruleof-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 association
agreement.
13

Culture of Kosovo
Kosovar Cuisine
Text 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 Kosovar
cuisine is expected to be a rich mixture of all the cultures that compose the country. The
countrys cuisine has diverse influences from the Albanian, Turkish, Italian, Greek, Serbian, and
Croatian 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 Balkan
countries.
The country is known for a wide variety of pies. The most favorite pie especially during the
summer is the Flija where its pieces are arranged
in a circular manner as if imitating the suns rays.
This is a symbol of the pagan tradition of
worshiping the sun. The unique Christmas pie is a
must-have in every Kosovar table during
Christmas dinner. Another pie called Krelane is
another favorite which is a pie without filling.
Kosovars are known
for making certain
food for certain
seasons. Days before
the coming of winter,
Tava e Prizrenit, a famous Kosovar dish
people in Kosovo
make the Pasterna, a
dish made of dried beef and pickled vegetables and is stored for the
winter. Another dish is the Hajvar which are fried red peppers,
peeled and ground then boiled in oil, salted slowly for hours, then
stored 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 which
is also eaten as a salad
The Arts
Text taken from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322726/Kosovo/29673
8/The-arts
Heroic epics and ballads as well as oral prose traditionally played an
important part in relaying the history and myths associated with the
ethnic groups of Kosovo. Recitation often was accompanied by the

Ciftelia, A Kosovar
Albanian instrument

14

sounds of traditional instrumentssuch as the single-stringed gusla (Albanian: lahuta; Serbian:

gusle) or, among Albanians, the larger two-stringed ifteli. These stories and songs remain
important 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, it
serves as a symbol of Kosovo. Kosovo is rich in folk art dating from the more recent past as
well. 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 Kosovar
artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is Sokol Beqiri, whose works include provocative
photography, video, and performance pieces.

The Patriarchate of Pec, a group of

churches in the immediate neighborhood of
Pec and at the entrance to the Rugovo gorge,
is one of the most important monuments of
the Serbian past. It was the centre of the
Serbian church for centuries. From its origin
in the 13th century the Patriarchate
attracted learned divines, reputed writers
and gifted artists, and all of them have left
traces of their work in it. It is therefore not
only the centre of the Serbian Church, but
also an important repository of its cultural
heritage.

There was relatively little written literature in the

Albanian language until the 20th century. Albanian
literature in Kosovo proceeded to develop differently
than it did in Albania, where the communist
government imposed more severe ideological
constraints. Among the best-known Kosovar
Albanian writers of the 20th and 21st centuries are
the novelist, playwright, and poet Eqrem Basha; the
poet and critic Sabri Hamiti; the poet Ali Podrimja;
the scholar, novelist, and political figure Rexhep
Qosja; the novelist Zejnullah Rrahmani; the poet
Azem Shkreli; and the poet, doctor, and political
activist Flora Brovina, who gained renown during her
imprisonment by Yugoslav authorities in 19992000.
Among Kosovar Serb writers, the 20th-century
novelist and literary critic Vukain Filipovi was
respected by the Albanian and Serb communities
alike.
In the years following the 199899 conflict,
Kosovos young population helped to revive the arts
scene. Pristina in particular became a vibrant centre
for art, drama, and music. Folk, classical, and
contemporary popular music thrived.

Cultural Institutions
Among Kosovos most significant historic sites are the medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries
of Deani (Albanian: Dean), Graanica (Graanica; near Pristina), and Pe (Pej), as well as the
Church of the Virgin of Ljevia (near Prizren). In 2004 the Deani monastery was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage site; the others were inscribed in 2006. Two of the oldest Muslim sites
are the 15th-century arshia and Mbretit (Fatih) mosques in Pristina. During the 199899
conflict, dozens of Muslim sites were destroyed, including the 18th-century Red Mosque in Pej
15

and the Ottoman-era bazaar in Gjakov

(akovica). Following the conflict, revenge
attacks damaged or destroyed a number of
Orthodox churches, although the World Heritage
sites survived.
Pristina is home to the Kosovo Museum (2002),
the Academy of Sciences and Arts (1975), and
the National Theatre (1946; originally located in
Prizren). Construction of an opera house, named
after the pre-independence Kosovar Albanian
leader Ibrahim Rugova, began in the capital in
2009. Many of Kosovos cultural and
archaeological 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 Kosovos
independence was not universally recognized, the
International Olympic Committee and a number
of other international sports organizations denied
Kosovar applications for membership. In the
early 21st century, ski resorts were under repair
following years of neglect and war damage.
Kosovo created a network of protected natural
areas, including Sharr Mountains National Park,
located along the border with Macedonia.
Media and Publishing

Sinan Pasha Mosque: Prizren's most

prominent mosque, towering over Shadrvan
square from a raised level, is from 1615.
Lovers of Ottoman architecture admire it for
its strength, compactness, gracefulness and
elegance, and know that the type of
architecture represents a rarity in Islamic
art. The mosque is delicately decorated with
geometrical designs, still life paintings and
curtains. A lengthy restoration project that
ended in 2010 saw the building completely
renovated. It was believed that the stones
used to build the mosque originated from the
Holy Archangels' Monastery, and in 1919
Serbian authorities started to dismantle the
mosque in order to rebuild the monastery.
The porch stones were removed, with the
columns thrown in the river, but mass
protests stopped the demolition, and the
porch was finally rebuilt in 2009.

Freedom of the press was enshrined in the 2008

constitution. The publicly funded broadcaster
Radio Television Kosovo provides television and
radio programming, primarily in the Albanian
language. There are also a number of privately
owned television and radio broadcasters. The
major newspaper is the Albanian-language Koha
Ditore (The Daily Times); other Albanian publications include Zri (The Voice), Kosova Sot
(Kosovo Today), and Epoka e Re (The New Epoch). The Serb community relies on Serbianlanguage media from local outlets as well as from Serbia.

16

Folklore: A Tale from Prizren

_______
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 the
evenings his own cow came back with no milk. So he watched it and found that a tortoise was
taking the milk. He caught the tortoise, took it home and put it in the cupboard. When he came
home next evening he found his cottage all in order and a meal spread ready for him. One day he
asked a friend to look after the cattle for him and stayed hidden in the cottage to see what
happened. A young woman came out of the tortoise's shell, put everything in order, went to fetch
water and made bread. He caught her and threw the tortoise's shell into the fire. Then she
remained a woman all the time and he took her for his wife. After a time he went away with his
friend to earn money. And his friend wagered that he would seduce his wife. Then the friend
went to the house and asked the old woman who was in charge to let him stay the night. She did
not let him into his friend's wife's room, but gave him another room to sleep in. He wanted a
token so that he could win the wager and so he bored a hole through the wall. Then he saw that
the woman had a star-shaped mark on her breast and that when she lay down to sleep she drank a
glass of sherbet.
Next day he rejoined his friend and told him that he had seduced his wife and, as proof, that she
had a star on her breast and drank sherbet before going to sleep. Then the man went home and
took his wife and led her to a wood a long way off. There they sat down to rest and she went to
sleep. He thought of killing her, but was sorry, so he left her there. When she wakened it was
dark; she was afraid and climbed a tree. There was a fountain near, and people passing by. She
heard 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 the
Emperor's daughter, who was bald, could be cured by the water from the fountain. When she had
listened to all this, she took water and sand from the spot and started off on the road. On the way
she 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 building
the bridge, but every night it falls again." Then she gave them the sand and said, Build it with
this, 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 cured
at once, and the Emperor asked the woman what reward she wanted. She said she wanted to be
made 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 a
gendarme to stand beside the fountain, and to come and tell her when passers-by commented or
enquired about it. When the man who said he had seduced her came by he first drank water and
then, seeing the likeness, said How does this woman's likeness come to be here? The gendarme
led him off to the pasha.
Her husband came by too and drank water and said, How can my wife's likeness come to be
here? And the gendarme took him off too. The pasha interrogated them both, asking the first
one what he had said about her and why he had lied. Then she ordered that he should be put to
death. Her husband she made pasha instead of herself, and then she lived with him as his wife.
17

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: Tauris
Academic 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, Image
and 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, 18741913. 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 of
Twentieth Century Southeastern Europe. Budapest; New York: Central European University
press, 2004.
Madgeura, Alexandru and Martin Gordon(eds.). The Wars of the Balkan Peninsula: their
Medieval 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: University
of Illinois Press, c2008.
Ramet, Sabrina P.. Balkan babel: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia from the Death of Tito to the
Fall of Milosevic. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2002.
Skendi, Stavro. The Albanian National Awakening, 1878-1912. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 1967.

18