Devoll (municipality)
Devoll (municipality)
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Devoll (municipality)

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Devoll (municipality)

Devoll (Albanian: [ˈdɛˈvɔɫ]; Albanian definite form: Devolli) is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Hoçisht, Miras, Progër and Qendër Bilisht with Bilisht constituting its seat. As of the Institute of Statistics estimate from the 2011 census, there were 26.716 in Devoll Municipality. It derives its name from the Devoll River flowing through the valley. The border point Kapshticë/Krystallopigi connects Devoll with the Greek regional units of Florina and Kastoria to the east and southeast. Devoll borders the municipalities of Kolonjë to the southwest, Korçë to the west, Maliq to the northwest and Pustec to the north. The area of the municipality is 453.27 km2 (175.01 sq mi).

Excavations at Tren cave unearthed Mycenaean pottery of the Late Bronze Age. This appears to be of possible local manufacture.

The medieval era Devol fortress, then known as Deabolis (Greek: Δέαβολις), was the location where the Treaty of Devol between Bohemond I of Antioch and Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos was signed in 1108. Its site became forgotten in modern times, however it has been tentatively identified with the site Zvezdë (located at 40°43′N 020°51′E / 40.717°N 20.850°E / 40.717; 20.850), a conjecture already proposed by the 19th century British traveller William Martin Leake in 1835. Devol fortress was reconquered by the Bulgarian Empire in the beginning of the 13th century, but taken back by the Byzantines in 1259. The fortress continued to play an important role until the 14th century. Its site became forgotten in modern times.

In a text by Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (r. 1347-1354) whose 'History' covers the years 1320-1356, there is mention of local Albanians; “While the emperor was spending about eight days in Achrida (Ohrid), the Albanian nomads living in the region of Deabolis (Devoll) appeared before him, as well as those from Koloneia (Kolonja) and those from the vicinity of Ohrid.” This meeting was estimated to have taken place at around February 1328.

During the World War I, the Greek army burned several Muslim villages in the region, including Sinicë (Miras). In the events of 1914, one of those killed by the Greek troops was Bektashi Baba Hafiz of the tekke of Kuç. His bloodstained ritual cap was portrayed as a symbol in the tekke for many years after his death.

The chapel in the Blashtonjë cave on the edge of the Small Prespa Lake dates to the 13th century AD. The cave paintings are the oldest artworks which have been found in Albania and the icons in the chapel are among the oldest of their kind in the country.

In late Ottoman times and early Independence era, much of the Christian population emigrated abroad and then returned, and later a part of the Muslim population did the same.

Before the World War II, the Devoll valley was an autonomous district. In the Communist period, it belonged to the Korçë region, which it was separated from in 1990 as part of the reform of administrative divisions. In the territorial reforms of 2015, the municipalities of Devoll region were transformed into the new municipality of Devoll, which was placed within Korçë County.

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