An Overview to the Ottoman Epitaphs Alphabet in Presheva Region

Abstract

AbstractThe city of Presheva, which is located within the borders of today’s Republic of Serbia, remainedunder Ottoman reign until 1912. Being invaded by Serbs after the Ottoman administration, Preshevaand its region is situated at the centre of the Presheva Valley. By being located in the south of Serbiaaccording to today’s administrative division, the region is vastly populated by Albanian residents.Besides the Albanian majority, the region is resided by a small number of Turks in Presheva and villageof Bilac. Major studies have been conducted on the Balkan countries heritage from the Ottomanperiod. Although the studies in this field have intensified after the 70s, the places that gained the focalpoint in the Western Balkans remained Bosnia, Sancak, Kosovo, and Macedonia. There is a sufficientsupport to claim that cultural studies on Presheva remained at the local level, especially during thedissolution of Yugoslavia. The long-term conflicts and wars that Western Balkans faced since thebeginning of 90s have adversely affected and continue to affect the development in education, culture,and science. In this process, many tangible cultural heritage artefacts have been damaged, destroyed,and even forgotten. The restoration work that extends the life of a few number of works which haveendured until today, is also limited and not performed by competent institutions. Even though thelocal people try to keep these works alive through voluntary initiative, it is essentially important forthese works to be inventoried and recorded. There have been some local studies regarding this issue,but still not sufficient to drive the institutions at ensuring protection for this heritage. Keywords: Epitaphs, Mosques, Water Fountains, Bridges, Dervish Lodges