Kosovo - Lynn to Win

Gjakova

We left Peja for a stop in Gjakova, one of the oldest cities in Kosovo. It dates back to the 15th century. The town center, flattened in the Kosovo War 25 years ago, has been restored to its traditional style.

There is a beautiful mosque here, built in the 16th century. The imam there spoke to us about the mosque, and islamic traditions and history.

Nearby, we went for a short visit to a sufi tekke, or lodge for practitioners of the religion. Sufis seem to be a mystic branch of islam, related to the famed “whirling dervishes” based in Turkey. We entered the prayer building, filled with strange sarcophagi, or coffins. Haki, the Kosovan policeman who was our driver that day, and Dusan, our tour leader, had no idea what that was all about.

The man who spoke to us there told us that Jesus was born in Albania. He predicted there will be a “burning” in two and a half years, where we will all burn from the inside. Strange visit to say the least.

Just outside the city, we stopped at a stone bridge from the 1700’s.

Prizren

We arrived in the pretty city of Prizren staying near the town center. At lunch in an open air restaurant, a bunch of children approached us begging for food.

After lunch we walked to a nearby medieval church. We were allowed to enter since there was a guide present, which was unexpected. This is another Serbian monument in danger of destruction from ethnic unrest, and armed guards are always present outside. Stunning frescoes from the 13th century show damage from the riots in 2004.

At sunset we walked up a very steep path to the fortress there from the 6th century. We had views above the city spread on either side of a river with stone bridges. The sun set as calls for prayer from several mosques echoed up the valley.

Bear Sanctuary

The next day, we set off for the nearby Four Paws bear sanctuary. This place has been open for about ten years, and protects abused bears. The sanctuary was set up with the help of the Brigitte Bardot foundation.

All the bears here now (and one lion) were purchased and rescued from restaurants. The animals were kept in small cages for the amusement of diners. How amusing…! The diners would feed them alcohol for more fun. One of the bears rescued was simply left there when a restaurant closed. Two others were killed by their owners just before they were to be purchased for rescue. They were slit open and their gall bladders removed and sold for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

“Dancing” bears was the previous form of bear abuse, dating back to medieval times. This occurred in many places in eastern Europe and Asia. Bears would be taken as cubs, permanent chains punched into their cheeks, abused and forced to stand on their hind legs and perform. This has been outlawed for years and is hopefully not happening anymore, but I’m sure it is in some dark corners of the world.

These bears now all have their own areas to hang out, alone or with a friend. Each enclosure is labelled with a picture of the occupants, then and now. They look pretty happy now!

Monasteries, mosques and battlefields

Next stop was another Serbian orthodox monastery, Gracanica, completed in 1321. This monastery is also guarded but not as heavily as the first one we saw, which was isolated in the countryside. The ancient frescoes inside are very well preserved, but photos not allowed, so I pulled some from the website. There were some gruesome depictions in the frescoes, including beheadings and people being burned alive in pots. There was some destruction here too, with eyes in some frescoes gouged out. The eyes damaged is common, especially when rulers have been overthrown.

We went to the site of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, at the Field of Blackbirds. Kosovo’s name is derived somehow from “field of blackbirds”. The site is significant to the Serbians, so is guarded from destruction by police, barbed wire and cameras. Serbians were defeated by the Ottoman Turks in this war. Tens of thousands of troops for both armies died, along with both of the leaders.

And, a quick stop to a nearby mosque with the ancient tomb of the leader killed in that battle.

Prishtina

We had a stop in the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina. This city became the capital of the region after World War II, and then grew quickly in the 1950’s and 60’s. Around 300,000 people live here now, but the city looks much bigger.

You can see lots of construction and empty buildings as you drive in to the city. Apparently this construction is the best way to launder illegal money from the massive amounts of drug being trafficked through the country.

Inside Prishtina, we stopped at a huge monument for Bill Clinton, who the Kosovans hold in incredibly high regard for his role in the independence of their nation around 1999.

Tony Blair, the British prime minister at the time, is also held in extremely high regard. Shops, streets and even children bear their names here. There is a story about Tony Blair visiting Prishtina more recently and meeting three kids named “Tonibler” (pronounced, Tony Blair).

We stopped at a massive catholic church, a weird futuristic library building, and a monument stating “Newborn” celebrating the independence of the country.