Kosovo was declared independent from Serbia in 2008. In ancient times,it was inhabited by the Illyrian tribes of Dardanai. They prospered and even created their own kingdom but despite a strong defense, they were defeated and became part of the Roman Empire. The region was not noted for much during the early Middle Ages but started flourishing again in the late Middle Ages and as part of the Ottoman Empire with cities as trade centers and on trade routes. The region was part of the ottoman Empire until 1912 when Yugoslavia invaded it. From the 1990s until 2008 it was part of the Republic of Serbia. Because of its history, the number of tours in Kosovo has been increasing year by year.
Facts
Population: 1.83 million | Capital: Prishtina | Language: Albanian | Surface: 10,908 km2
Prizren, one of the main destinations of our tours in Kosovo, is the second largest city in Kosovo and one of the oldest inhabited areasin the country. Historians believe that Illyrian tribes settled it in the 2nd century B.C. Thehilltop fortress overlooking the city and the large area behind Prizren offer many clues to its origins. During the Middle Ages,it flourished as a trade citybecause it was on the trade routes and had a well-positioned fortress. You can see how the Ottoman invasion left its mark in Prizren in the typically Ottoman buildings, especially the famous house, the League of Prizren.
The site called Justiniana Secunda was in the same place as modern-day Ulpiana, so this small town is included in Serbia’s Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance. In our tours in Kosovo, you can see the ruins of the ancient Roman town which are located only nine kilometers from Prishtina, in a fertile land and close to a mine in continuous use fromthe Roman Empire. Ulpiana was established during the 3rdand 4thcentury A.D. and was a major city in the Byzantine Empire. After an earthquake in the 6th century, Emperor Justinian named it Justiniana Secunda. Archaeological excavations started in 1953 have brought to light a long-lost city of history, a whole site that was considered vanished. To think that what started with the excavation of four graves is now is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, with numerous objects.
Peja is internationally recognized as Pec. It was an Illyrian settlement and a known city in the Greek and Roman Balkans maps, but under different names. Until the Middle Ages, it remained a small mountain village. Later, it grew and developed as a city on the major trade routes. During our tours in Kosovo, you can see the Serbian Orthodox Church that built a few churches in the city and always gave special importance to Peje. In modern times, Peja is the largest city and the district’s capital. During our tours in Kosovo you will have the possibility to see Peja’s old quarter is a mixture of Ottoman architecture buildings with a slight Slavic influence. Likemany other cities, the Ottomans built a mosque here to establish Islam; it still stands strong here as one of the city’s landmarks.
