Himarë

Himara
Country	Albania
County	Vlorë County
District	Vlorë District
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population
• Total	3,000
Time zone	UTC+1 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	393

Himara (also Albanian: Himara or Himarë, Greek: Χειμάρρα, "Himarra") is a town and a region in southern Albania, part of the District of Vlorë. The region of Himara, constitutes of 7 other villages: Dhërmi, Palase, Vuno, Pilur, Qeparo, Shën Vasili, Kudhës and Iliasi. It is part of a larger region known in Albania as Labëria.Due to its location and warm weather Himara is one of the most attractive tourist town in Albanian Riviera. Himara is home to a significant Greek community, whose presence may date to antiquity.

Geography

Orthodox church in Himara

The Himara region is characterized by high mountains, called Llogara (known in antiquity as the Ceraunian, or "Lightning" mountains ) falling steeply to the sea. There are long white sandy beaches and the few hills close to the sea are terraced and planted with olive and citrus trees.

History

Ancient history

In antiquity the region was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Chaonians. The Chaonians were one of the three principal Greek-speaking tribes of Epirus, along with the Thesprotians and the Molossians. The town of Himara is believed to have been founded by the Chaonians as a trading outpost on the Chaonian shore.

Following the breakup of Alexander the Great's empire, Himara became part of Epirus under the rule of King Pyrrhus of Epirus, a famous Molossian of that time known for his Pyrrhic victories against the emerging power of Rome in Southern Italy. When the region was conquered by the Roman Republic in the 2nd century BC, its settlements were badly damaged and some were destroyed by the Roman General Aemilius Paulus.

Local tradition identifies the area around the Via Egnatia as the site of Julius Caesar's landing in Epirus in pursuit of Pompey the Great during the Roman civil war. He is said to have assembled his army near Himara before marching on to take the town of Oricon (modern archaeological park of Oricum) on the other side of the mountains, near ancient Avlona (modern Vlorë).

Middle Ages and early modern times

Himara and the rest of northern Epirus passed into the hands of the Byzantine Empire following the fall of Rome, but like the rest of the region it became the frequent target of various attackers including the Goths, Avars, Slavs, Bulgars, Saracens and Normans. The use of the name "Chaonia" in reference to the region apparently died out during the 12th century, the last time it is recorded (in a Byzantine tax collection document).

The Ottoman Empire overran the rest of northern Epirus from the late 14th century, but Himara was the only region that did not submit to Ottoman Turkish rule. It became a symbol of resistance to the Turks but suffered an almost continuous state of warfare.

In 1481, one year after the Ottomans had landed in Otranto in southern Italy, the Himariotes rose against them under the leadership of Gjon Kastrioti, the son of Skanderbeg, who attempted to regain the lands lost after the death of his father. The attempt failed, but the Himariotes rose again in 1488, and between 1494-1509, destabilising Turkish control but failing to liberate their territory.

The Ottoman Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent personally led a large army in 1537 in a particularly bloody confrontation in Himarë. Following the indecisive result, he set forth a number of laws to regulate the relationship with the Empire. These included such rights as the exemption of the Himariotes from taxes, the right to sail under their own flag into any Ottoman port, and the right to carry guns while travelling in Ottoman territory.

Despite this agreement, the Ottomans subsequently made several unsuccessful attempts to conquer Himara, first in 1571, then again in 1595, 1690 and 1713. In total three different Ottoman sultans personally led military campaigns against Himara, each failing in turn. During these years, the people of Himara established close links to the Italian city states, especially Naples and the powerful Republic of Venice, and later with Austro-Hungary, which controlled Corfu and the other Ionian Islands. During this time and thereafter, many Himariotes emigrated to the outside world and brought valuable skills back home with them. In 1848 even a small village like Dhermi could boast two doctors graduated in Athens and Vienna.

It is interesting to note that one of the first Albanian language schools in history was started in Himara around 1660-1661 while the city was still under Ottoman occupation, by Onufër Konstandini and the Catholic missionary Zef Skiroi, thus making Himara one of the first cities where the Albanian renaissance started.

From 1799 to present times

In 1799, Himara came under the rule of Ali Pasha Tepelenë, a Muslim enemy of the Himariotes who had risen from being an Albanian leader to the position of ruler of all of Epirus. Ali Pasha tried to create good relations with the Himariotes after declaring their enclave part of his emerging semi-independent state, by financing various public works and churches. One church he built still stands today as a major tourist attraction near Himare opposite of the Porto Palermo (Panormos) Castle and is the largest and most magnificent in the region. Ali Pasha's rule over Himara lasted about 20 years until it was abruptly terminated by his murder at the hands of the Ottoman agents. Himara subsequently reverted to its status quo ante of an enclave surrounded by Ottoman territory.

To emphasize the region's special status, the terms that the Himariotes had reached with Sultan Suleiman were inscribed on bronze tablets at the request of their leaders, who wanted to record the agreement on a durable medium so as to stress its importance. These tablets were inscribed in Turkish and are still preserved to this day in the Topkapi palace museum in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey).

At 1914, some months after the withdrawal of the Ottoman forces, the "Protocol of Corfu" was signed and granted the Himara autonomy, though the region remained part of the newly formed Albanian state. Himara, during the First World War,was occupied by Italy when the Italians used Austro-Hungarian war prisoners to build a road running through Himara, which greatly reduced the region's isolation.

Later, Himara was again occupied by the Italians as the rest of the Italian Invasion in Albania. The Italian Fascist Army was evicted by the Greek Army during the Greek-Italian war of 1940-41 and Himara was briefly annexed to Greece until the German invasion, April 6, 1941.

Demographics

The population of the Himara region is estimated at around 3,000 inhabitants. The ethnic composition is disputed, with some sources stating that Himara is mostly Greek . This stays in accordance to the high popularity levels of the Greek minority's Unity for Human Rights Party in the region, while the possibility of victory in the municipal elections in the past triggered nationalist rhetoric, both at the local and even national level and heightens tension in the town. However, there are other sources claim that the Greek community in Himara was always small..

Language

The vast majority of people in Himarë are bilingual in both Albanian and Greek. Due to high rates of emigration, many people are also fluent in English, French and Italian.

Famous modern Himariotes

• Vasilis Bolanos, current mayor of Himara and President of the Unity for Human Rights Party.

• Aleks Çaçi, a well-known writer and Albanian diplomat. He was a Himariot from the village of Palasa.

• Pyrros Dimas the world-famous Greek weight-lifting athlete, whose nickname is "the Lion of Himara". He is the only weight-lifter in the world to have won four Olympic medals. Three of his medals are gold (1992 Summer Olympics, 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics) and the last one, from the Athens 2004 Olympics, is a bronze. He is considered a national hero in Greece.

• Petro Marko, one of the most famous Albanian writers of the post World War II era.

• Spiros Milios General Chief of Staff in Eleftherios Venizelos govt' in Greece (1915-1936).

• Paskal Milo, leader of the Albanian Social Democracy Party, member of the Albanian Parliament and Professor of Albanian and Foreign literature. Milo has held various posts under the Albanian government in the late 1990s and early 2000s, notably that of foreign minister.

• Sotiris Ninis another Himariot who has become famous in Greece as a young and very promising football player with Panathinaikos of Athens. Ninis is thought to be one of the biggest hopes for the future of the Greek National Football Team which conquered the European Championship 2004 (Euro 2004).

• George Tenet, Greek American former Director of CIA belonging to the Greek minority in Southern Albania. His mother was born in the village of Qeparo, while his father hails from southern Greece. Tenet held the position from July 1997 to July 2004, making him the second-longest serving director in the agency's history.

References

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/al.html

More Historical and Ethnological Information on Himara

• Research Foundation
• Hellenism Through Time
• Greeks in Albania
• Citizenship for Northern Epirotes, article in Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
• Northern Epirus Association
• www.himara.eu