TIPOLOGJI TË NJË QYTETI KUFITAR: DURRËSI GJATË DY SHEKUJVE TË PARË TË SUNDIMIT OSMAN (SHEK. XVI-XVII)
CHARACTERISTICS OF A BORDERING TOWN: DURRËS DURING THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES OF THE OTTOMAN RULE (16™-17™ CENTURIES)

Summary/Abstract: As one of the oldest and at the same time one of the most important towns of the Albanian space and beyond, Durrës went through a difficult period at the beginning of the Middle Ages. Apart from the extremely bad climate which harmed people’s health, the many raids, attacks and wars would gradually wane the glow of the “Adriatic’s Gate”. The disgraceful situation of the town, before it was occupied by the Venetians, was described by Shuflaj who stated that in 400 years Durrës had changed masters 31 times. In this bad situation the town was taken over by the Sanjak bey of Elbasan, Mehmet Bey, in 1501. The lack of an essentially historical study on the history of Durrës under Ottoman rule, makes it impossible to have a detailed view of the order, society, culture, economy and other components of the town’s urban life. That is the main reason for this study which makes an attempt to present a view of Durrës during the first two, centuries of the Ottoman rule. The documents of Western and Eastern archives portray Durrës with all the obstacles, developments and transformations of a bordering town, which is located at the borderland not only of countries but also empires, philosophies and civilizations. These elements are clearly reflected in the events that characterize the town during two centuries during which it attempted to regain its energy and previous glow. Once the international balance was established, the town entered a period of tranquility and with the opening of foreign consulates Durrës seemed to start recovering after seven or eight centuries.

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