page_title: Shala (tribe)
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Shala (tribe) / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Sunrise above the Shala valley in Northern Albania. Mountains: Maja Ershelit (2125 m), behind hardly visible Maja Agruerit (1615 m) Deutsch: Sonnenaufgang über dem Shala-Tal in Nordalbanien. Berge: Maja Ershelit (2125 m), dahinter knapp sichtbar die Maja Agruerit (1615 m)
context_page_description: Shala is a historical tribe and region of northern Albania in the valley of the river Shalë, in the Dukagjin highlands. It was first mentioned in 1634, and oral tradition and archaeology confirms that their ancestors immigrated to the valley. At the end of the 19th century the tribe was Catholic and had c. 3,000 members. Today, descendants are widespread in Kosovo.
context_section_description: The tribal region is situated in northern Albania, in the valley of the river Shalë, north of the Drin and south of Theth, in the Dukagjin highlands.
  The Shala tribe is either divided into four bajraks: Theth, Pecaj, Lothaj and Lekaj, or three bajraks: Shala, Gemaj and Theth, the latter two considered tribes in their own right.
  Since the last decade of the 17th century the region of Kosovo and north-western Macedonia was settled by families belonging to Albanian tribes. The most intensive phase of this migration was between the middle of 18th century until the 1840s. This led to division of many tribes including Shala.
  Today in Kosovo, the Shala are concentrated primarily around Vučitrn, Mitrovica, and Trepça in the hilly region known as Shala e Bajgorës, Bajgora being the largest of their 37 settlements. They are divided into four clans or vllazni (brothers): the Gima, Peci, Maleti (related to the Lotaj in Albania proper) and the Lopçi. There are also good numbers of Shala in Isniq, Lluka e Epërme and Strellç in Ulët near Deçan, in Klina and Drenica.
caption: Shala Valley
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