He was trained in the art of war and granted the title bey (lord or chieftain) and so the warrior ‘Skanderbeg’ came into being. He proved to be a gifted military leader. During a major Turkish defeat at Niš, Serbia, in 1443, Skanderbeg abandoned the Turkish side and turned homewards.

For 25 years, from 1443 to 1468, Skanderbeg’s 10,000-man army marched through Ottoman territory, winning against consistently larger and better-supplied Ottoman forces. He was greatly admired for this….

George’s fighting skill was compared to that of Alexander the Great (Iskander), hence he was called “Iskander bey,” or Scanderbeg (also spelled Skanderbeg). Because the story of Scanderbeg strongly resonated with the anti-Ottoman Europeans, books about him began appearing some 40 years after his death.

Jan

Population. The Albanians are considered to be descendants of Illyrian and Thracian tribes who settled the region in ancient times. The country is ethnically homogeneous with 96 percent of the population being Albanian. There are two major subgroups of Albanians – the Gegs and the Tosks.

Seventy per cent of Albania’s 3m population are of Muslim origin, but the number of practicing believers is much smaller. The younger generation discovering religion for the first time after communism, did so via schools and mosques established by foreign, often Arabic, charities.

The general consensus is that Albanians, ethnically and linguistically, originate from one or possibly a mixture of Paleo-Balkan peoples but which specific peoples is a matter of continuing debate.

Albanian

Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)

Tavë kosi

The country’s cuisine is largely meat-based. Beef and veal are the most commonly consumed meats in Albania, followed by pork.

Crude Petroleum

Albania, located on the Mediterranean Sea across from southern Italy, is one of the poorest countries in Europe. The country’s transition from a communist regime to a free market in a democratic republic has disrupted economic growth and has caused high levels of poverty.

In 2019, the national debt of Albania amounted to around 11.29 billion U.S. dollars.

The origins of anti-Albanian propaganda in Serbia started by the end of 19th century and the reason for this was the claims made by Serbian state on territories that were about to be controlled by Albanians after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.