Accursed Mountains

The Accursed Mountains (Bjeshkët e Nëmuna; Prokletije, prɔklɛ̌tijɛ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps (Alpet Shqiptare), is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjected to the Adriatic Sea. It is the southernmost subrange of the Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë, standing at , is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata, which, at , is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica, which, at , is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009. The origin of the name "Accursed Mountains" is disputed. According to one local legend, the devil escaped from hell and created the jagged glacial karsts in a single day of mischief. Others say a woman cursed the mountains while she and her children trekked through them on a scorching-hot day and couldn't find any water. A third legend claims Slavic soldiers gave the mountains their name as they struggled to march through them. Both the Albanian (Bjeshkët e Nëmuna) and Serbo-Croatian (Prokletije) names mean "cursed (mountains)". The Accursed Mountains, the southernmost part of the Dinaric Alps, stretch more than from Lake Skadar along the Montenegrin–Albanian border in the southwest to Kosovo in the northeast. These points are at 42°45' and 42°15' N in the Mediterranean zone of the western Balkans. The southern boundary of the Accursed Mountains is found at the river Drin and its tributary Valbona. In a broader sense the Accursed Mountains also include the mountain ranges to Mitrovica with the Hajla and Mokna massifs. Some authors, however, see the river Lim as the northern boundary of the Accursed Mountains in geological terms.

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Related concepts (15)

Kelmendi (tribe)

Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in Malësia (Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Mountains range of the Dinaric Alps. The Vermosh river springs in the village of the same, which is Albania's northernmost village. Vermosh pours into Lake Plav. Kelmendi is mentioned as early as the 14th century and as a territorial tribe it developed in the 15th century.

Peja

Peja (Indefinite Albanian form: Pejë pɛˈj) or Peć (Пећ petɕ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along Peja's Lumbardh in the western part of Kosovo. In medieval times the city was the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1346. The Patriarchal monastery of Peć is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo.

Shkreli (tribe)

Shkreli is a historical Albanian tribe and region in the Malësia Madhe region of Northern Albania and is majority Catholic. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, part of the tribe migrated to Rugova in Western Kosovo beginning around 1700, after which they continued to migrate into the Lower Pešter and Sandžak regions (today in Serbia and Montenegro). The Shkreli tribe that migrated to Kosovo converted to Islam in the 18th century and maintained the Albanian language as their mother tongue.