Trebisht

Trebisht
Municipal unit
Trebisht
Coordinates: 41°25′N 20°32′E / 41.417°N 20.533°E / 41.417; 20.533
Country	Albania
County	Dibër
Municipality	Bulqizë
Population  (2011)
• Municipal unit	993
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Trebisht (Macedonian: Требишта, Bulgarian: Требище or Требища^[1]) is a former municipality in the Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë.^[2] The population at the 2011 census was 993.^[3]

Geography

The village is situated in the geographical area of Gollobordë.

Within the municipality, the village of Trebisht consists of the three neighborhoods of Trebisht-Muçinë, Trebisht-Balaj, and Trebisht-Çelebi.^[4][5] (in the local Macedonian dialect - Dunomala, Gurnomala and Unomala^[6]). These neighborhoods are divided into smaller ones.

Demographic history

A demographic study published in 1878, reflecting statistics of the male population from 1873, stated that the population of Trébichta consisted of 150 households with 144 Bulgarian Christians and 265 Pomaks.^[7]

In the early 20th century, Trebisht was a village with a mixed population of Bulgarian Muslims and Bulgarian Christians, according to Bulgarian geographer Vasil Kanchov's statistics. The Muslim population was prevalent, with 2500 Bulgarian Muslims reported and 70 Bulgarian Christians—97.3% Muslim and 2.7% Christian.^[8]

Villages located in the Trebisht administrative unit contain the following populations: Gjinovec and Klenjë are inhabited solely by a Slavic speaking population^[4] which contain Torbeš or Muslim Bulgarians.^[9][10] Vërnicë is inhabited by an Albanian population that dominates demographically in the village that also contains a significant population of Slavic Speakers^[4] Torbeš and Orthodox Macedonians^[9] or Bulgarians^[10]). The Torbeš and Orthodox Macedonian population of the area are speakers of a south Slavic language^[4] (Macedonian^[9] or Bulgarian).^[11]

The inhabitants of Trebisht are speakers of a south Slavic dialect^[4] and the village has traditionally consisted of a mixed Slavic Orthodox Christian (Macedonian or Bulgarian) and Torbeš or Bulgarian Muslim) population.^[12][9] Within Macedonian academia, the language spoken has been regarded as Macedonian,^[9] while within Bulgarian academia, the dialect of Trebisht is considered as part of the Bulgarian language.^[13][11] The local population of the village lack official recognition as a Macedonian minority from the Albanian government.^[14] In 2020, an ethnic Macedonian was elected as an administrator of Trebisht.^[15]

Notable people

• Kimet Fetahu, academic and activist
• Nexhmedin Zajmi, painter and sculptor.

References