PalasëPalasë (Palasë or Palasa; Παλάσα, Palasa) also Paljasa (Παλιάσα), is a village in Himarë municipality (13 kilometres from the town), Vlorë County, southern Albania. It is located near the Llogara National Park and next to the Ionian coast on the Albanian Riviera. In classical antiquity Roman writer Lucan recorded a town named Palaeste on the Ceraunian Mountains, which corresponds to the site area of modern day Palasë. In Palaeste, Julius Caesar landed from Brundusium, in order to carry on the war against Pompey.
Christianity in AlbaniaChristianity in Albania was established throughout the country in 325 AD. From 1100 AD, the Byzantine Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in the area in the 13th century. From the 15th century to the 19th century, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Christianity was replaced by Islam as the majority religion in Albania during the Ottoman Empire.
Muzaka familyThe Muzaka were an Albanian noble family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe (southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mentions Muzaka family (around 1090) is written by the Byzantine historian Anna Komnene. At the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th century members of the Muzaka family controlled a region between the rivers of Devoll and Vjosë.
Strait of OtrantoThe Strait of Otranto (Ngushtica e Otrantos; Canale d'Otranto; Otrantska Vrata) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The strait is named after the Italian city of Otranto. Since ancient times, the Strait of Otranto was of vital strategic importance. The Romans used it to transport their troops eastwards. The legions marched to Brundisium (now Brindisi), had only a one-day sea voyage to modern Albania territory and then could move eastwards following the Via Egnatia.
BorshBorsh (ˈbɔɾʃ; Borshi, ˈbɔɾʃi) is a maritime village, in the Albanian Riviera, in the former Lukovë municipality, Vlorë County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, it became part of the municipality Himarë. The village is inhabited by Albanians, many of whom have traditionally been Bektashi. In Borsh, the Lab dialect of Albanian is spoken. Borsh borders with Fterra, Qeparo, Piqeras, Kuç, Çorraj, Kalasa, Zhulat, Tatzat, and has a population of 2500 registered inhabitants.
Culture of AlbaniaAlbanian culture or the culture of Albanians (kultura shqiptare kultuˈɾa ʃcipˈtaɾɛ) is a term that embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Albanians. Albanian culture has been considerably shaped by the geography and history of Albania, Kosovo, parts of Montenegro, parts of North Macedonia, and parts of Northern Greece, traditional homeland of Albanians.
Autonomous Republic of Northern EpirusThe Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus (Αὐτόνομος Δημοκρατία τῆς Βορείου Ἠπείρου) was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars on 28 February 1914, by the local Greek population in southern Albania (Northern Epirotes). The area, known as Northern Epirus (Βόρειος Ήπειρος) to Greeks and with a substantial Greek population, was taken by the Greek Army from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War (1912–1913). The Protocol of Florence, however, had assigned it to the newly established Albanian state.
BeratBerat (ˈbɛˈɾat; Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in the south of the country. It is surrounded by mountains and hills, including Tomorr on the east that was declared a national park. The river Osum (total length ) runs through the city before it empties into the Seman within the Myzeqe Plain.
Epirus (Roman province)The province of Epirus (Provincia Epiri, Eparkhía Ēpeírou) was a province of the Roman Empire, covering the region of Ancient Epirus. Rome first annexed the region in 167 BC, in the aftermath of the Third Macedonian War, and initially put the region in the larger Roman province of Macedonia, which at the time covered the whole of the Hellenistic world in mainland Europe. In 27 BC, Epirus and Achaea were separated from Macedonia and grouped into the senatorial province of Achaea, with the exception of its northernmost part, which remained part of the province of Macedonia.
VunoVuno is a village in Himara municipality, Vlorë County, Albania. It is located along the road between the municipal centre of Himarë and the village of Dhërmi in the Albanian Riviera. It is said that because of the village's situation on the hills, which ascend to about , the village's name derives from the Greek word Vouno (Βουνό), meaning "mountain". In 1628 a school was founded in Vuno by Catholic missionary Neophytos Rodinos. The latter was sent to Himara region in order to convert the local Greek Orthodox element to Catholicism.
