Delvinë

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Delvinë (Greek: Δελβίνο Dhelvíno) is a small town in Southern Albania, for 16 km northeast from Saranda. Delvina is principal place of the circle of the same name. Delvina lost since 1990 at least one third of its citizens and has today still 4,200 inhabitants (estimation 2004).

The city is because of a mountain-slope. It has a mosque and an orthodox church. On close convenient mountain are the remainders of a medieval castle. In the level underneath the city is the antique Phoinike.

In the district Delvina lives a larger Greek minority. A village of the environment is predominantly inhabited by Aromunen. Many of the Greeks, under it the young in particular, emigrated in the last years. The whole district suffers from this population decrease.

Beside the state it hardly gives employer. Also of could Delvina do not boom-end tourism in Saranda yet profit directly.

In the middle age Delvina was a part of the Despotat of Epirus. In the middle of the 14th century the aristocracy family Shpata has taken the rule over Delvina. 1354 are testified Peter Shpata as owners of castle and city.

[edit] Bloom time under the Turkey

The Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebis visited around 1670 Delvina and gives some information about the city in his travel book. It knows to report that Delvina in the Middle Ages was first in Spanish hand (with Spaniards the Catalan mercenaries are probably gemeit, in 14. Century their nuisance in Epirus and Greece floated). Afterwards the Venezianer some time rulers was over the city. To Evliya Çelebis times was Ajaz pasha, a native Albanian, Sandschak Bey of Delvina. The Sandschak of Delvina covered 24 Zeamets and 155 Timare. There was a turkish garrison, whose command on the castle was from Delvina. According the description of Çelebis the small fortress had a good cisterne, a ammunition depot and a small mosque. In the city reports Çelebi were about 100 houses covered with bricks had. These stood relatively far apart and nearly each house were provided with a fastened tower. But a townwall was missing. There was several mosques, three Medreses and about 80 stores as well as an open market place. About the inhabitants Çelebi says that they would speak all Albanian and nobody Greek understand.

In 17th century was Delvina thus a flowering eastern city with predominantly Muslim population. Orthodox Christians probably lived in the adjacent villages, where are received untill today still some old churches.

[edit] Jewish community

Up to the Second World War a small Jewish community existed in Delvina. It concerned Jews from Spain, who had come under the osmanian rule to Delvina and had close connections to the large Jewish community in Ioannina. Nearly all Jews emigrated after the war to Israel.

Cities in Albania