Tirana Coonty

The **Coonty o Tirana** () is ane o the 12 coonties o Albanie. It consists o the districts Kavajë an Tirana an its caipital is Tirana. It haes 800,347 indwallers an wi that it haes the lairgest nummer o fowk o the Coonties o Albanie.

## History
The aurie nou occupied bi the ceety o Tirana haes been populatit syne Paleolithic times datin back 10,000 tae 30,000 years ago, as evidenced bi tuils that wur foond near Munt Dajt's quarry terrain, as well as inside the Cave o the Pellumba. As argued bi various archaeologists, Tirana an its suburbs are filled wi Illyrian toponyms an legends as the ceety's precincts are some o the earliest regions in Albanie tae be inhabitit.

Various remains discovered in fortresses, kirks, villages, an durin urban constructions in an aroond Tirana provide evidence for continuous activity throughoot muckle o human history. The auldest discovery in the aurie o Tirana wis a mosaic, datin back tae the 3rd century A.D., wi several ither remains foond at the Foontain o Shengjin, near a medieval temple. A castle, possibly cawed *Tirkan* or *Theranda*, wis biggit bi Emperor Justinian in 520 AD an restored bi Ahmed Pasha Toptani in the 18t century. The aurie haed nae special importance in Illyrien an classical times. In 1510, Marin Barleti, an Albanian Catholic priest an scholar, in the biography o the Albanian naitional hero Skanderbeg, *Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis* (*The story o life an deeds o Skanderbeg, the prince o Epirotes*), referred tae this aurie as a sma veelage.

The records o the first land registrations unner the Ottomans in 1431–32 shaw that Tirana consistit o 60 inhabitit auries, wi nearly 2,028 hooses an 7,300 indwallers. The 1583 census records shaw that Tirana haed 110 inhabitit auries, wi 2,900 hooses an 20,000 indwallers. Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler, establisht the Ottoman toun in 1614 wi a mosque, a commercial centre an a hammam (Turkish sauna). The toun wis locatit alang caravan routes an it began tae develop in the beginnin o the 16t century, when a bazaar wis establisht, an its craftsmen manufactured silk an cotton fabrics, leather, ceramics an iron, siller, an gowd artifacts. Sitit in a fertile plain, the Tirana aurie exportit 2,600 barrels o olive oil an 14,000 packages o tobacco tae Venice bi 1769.

Durin this period, the Et'hem Bey Mosque biggit bi Molla Bey o Petrela, began tae be constructit. It employed the best artisans in the kintra an wis completit in 1821 bi Molla's son, who wis an aa Sulejman Pasha's grandnephew. In 1800, the first new comers arrived in the settlement, the sae-cawed *ortodoksit*. Thay wur Vlachs frae villages o Korçë an Pogradec who settled aroond the aurie o the day's Park on the Artificial Lake. Later, thay stairtit tae be kent as the *llacifac* an wur the first Christians tae arrive efter the foondation o the toun. In 1807, Tirana became the centre o the Sub-Prefecture o Krujë-Tirana. Efter 1816, Tirana languisht unner the control o the *Toptani* faimily o Krujë. In 1865, Tirana became a Sub-Prefecture o the newly creatit Vilayet o Shkodër an Sanjak o Durrës. The Albanian leid stairtit tae be taught in Tirana's schools in 1889. The patriotic club "Bashkimi" wis foondit in 1908 while on November 28, 1912, the naitional banner wis raised in agreement wi Ismail Qemali. Durin the Balkan Wars, the toun wis temporarily occupied bi the Serbian airmy, an in 1914–15, it teuk pairt in uprisin o the villages lead bi Haxhi Qamili.i

## References