Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians

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"Ashkali" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Ashkali, Iran.
Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians
Komuniteti Ashkali dhe Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit
Regions with significant populations
 Kosovo26,960[1][a]
 North Macedonia3,713[2][b]
 Albania3,368[3][b]
 Serbia2,831[4][5][c]
 Montenegro2,054[6][b]
 Croatia172[7]
Languages
Albanian
Religion
Christianity (Albanian Orthodox, Albanian Catholic), Islam (Sunni, Bektashi[8])

The Ashkali (Serbian: Ашкалије, romanized: Aškalije), also Hashkali (Serbian: Хашкалије, romanized: Haškalije), and Balkan Egyptians (Serbian: Балкански Египћани, romanized: Balkanski Egipćani; Albanian: Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit; Macedonian: Ѓупци, romanized: Gjupci) are Albanian-speaking ethnic cultural minorities (recognized communities), unrelated to each other, which mainly inhabit Kosovo, and in the case of Balkan Egyptians Albania as well. Due to lack of studies, the communities in Kosovo are often grouped together based on their skin colour. Prior to the Kosovo War of 1999, the Ashkali people registered themselves as Albanians.[9]

During the Kosovo War, Kosovo's Ashkali people were displaced as refugees in Albania, Serbia and Macedonia and the whole of Western Europe, such as Germany and France. The Ashkali identity was created in 1999, as they tried to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma.[10]

Balkan Egyptian History[]

The first arrival of Balkan Egyptians was during the Iron Age, in the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II, who imported iron to the Balkans. According to Herodotus' texts, during the Ancient period, among the Greeks and other Balkan populations, people of Egyptian origin lived in their neighbourhood. Furthermore, some temples of the Goddess Isis have been preserved around the Balkans, most famously the ones in modern Ohrid and Bitola.[11]

Their presence in the Balkans is mentioned throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A 14th-century reference to a placename (Агѹповы клѣти, Agupovy klěti) in the Rila Charter of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria is thought to be related to the Balkan Egyptians according to some authors, such as Konstantin Josef Jireček.[12][13]

The Ashkali people claim that they have originated in Persia, now Iran, in 4th century BC (Ashkal, Gilan, Iran). There are other theories of the Ashkali coming from Turkey in a village called Aşkale (Erzurum district of Turkey), or possibly have migrated millennia ago from the city of Ashkalon (Israel).

With the arrival of the Romani people in Europe, historical sources reveal a confusion between the two communities, caused by the Romani's identification as "Egyptian", for a greater privileges in society. However, unlike Balkan Egyptians who were integrated in their respective countries, the Roma lived a nomadic lifestyle while maintaining their Indo-Aryan language and traditions. On the other hand, B. Egyptians were already part of the society where they lived. One example is a Document from 1362 in the Archives of Dubrovnik where two brothers, Vlaho and Vitan who bear Croatian Christian names indicating their assimilation, are mentioned as Egyptian. During this period the Romani were still Nomads. [14]


In 1990, an "Egyptian association" was formed in Ohrid, North Macedonia, which was attended by representatives from different Balkan countries.

The Ashkali and the Kosovo War[]

During the Kosovo War, Albanized Roma were displaced as refugees in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Albanized Roma formed the ethnic group Ashkali after the end of the war in 1999, to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma, who had been mistakenly viewed as pro-Serbian during the war. Many Albanized Roma were also sent to refugee camps with other Roma, with whom they did not share the same language and customs.[9] As the majority of Kosovo (or Albanized) Roma, many Ashkali refugees settled in Serbia and Montenegro. The first Ashkali party (Democratic Party of the Ashkali Albanians of Kosovo) was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani, who supported Kosovo independence in the name of all Ashkali.[9]

In Kosovo, the Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before, during and after the Kosovo War.[9] However, Ashkali, along with Romani Gypsies from Kosovo, have reportedly been expelled from the area.[15]

It's important to note that the Ashkali are not related to Balkan Egyptians, although they're often incorrectly grouped together by the Media because of their darker skin pigmentation, as well as their status as native Albanian speaking minorites.

Demographics[]

Most Ashkali live in Kosovo and North Macedonia, but they also reside in Serbia and Montenegro, while most Balkan Egyptians are thought to live in Albania, other than Kosovo. In the Macedonian census of 2002, 3,713 people identified as Egyptian, while in the Serbian census of 2002 (excluding Kosovo), 814 people identified as Egyptian. In the Montenegrin census, on the other hand, 225 people identified as Egyptian.

Ashkali are predominant in the central and eastern regions of Kosovo: Ferizaj, Fushë Kosova, and Lipjan. Kosovo's Egyptian community is mostly to be found in its western part: in Gjakova, Istog, Peja, and Deçan. The Ashkali as well as the Egyptian community of Kosovo had 98% unemployment in 2009.[16]

In Albania, however, the Balkan Egyptian community is fully integrated into Albanian society and culture, having a high educational and employment rate as well, although a good percentage of the community do not identify as Balkan Egyptian because of negative stereotypes about coloured people. Despite the fact that most Balkan Egyptians tend to have typical Mediterranean features, fair skin and light features are not uncommon.

Culture[]

Flag of Ashkali[17]
An "Ashkali flag" (Amëza e Ashkalive) was designed in 1999 by Abedin Toplica.[18]

Marriages between Balkan Egyptians and Albanians are more frequent than marriages between Roma and Albanians, while marriages between Balkan Egyptians and Romani people are rare. In Albania, Balkan Egyptians are fully integrated into Albanian culture and have followed their regional traditions and customs.

In Kosovo, on the other hand, Roma and Ashkalia do not classify one another as Gadje.[16] The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own; whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other's background.[9] No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo's Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences.[16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 15,436 Ashkali and 11,524 Balkan Egyptians
  2. ^ a b c Identified as Balkan Egyptians
  3. ^ 1,834 Balkan Egyptians and 997 Ashkali at the 2011 census
  1. ^ "Population - by gender ethnicity at settlement level" (PDF). p. 11. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. ^ Statistički godišnik na Republika Makedonija (in Macedonian). 2007. p. 55. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  3. ^ "1.1.13 Popullsia banuese sipas përkatësisë etnike dhe kulturore sipas Përkatësia etnike dhe kulturore, Variabla dhe Viti" (xls). INSTAT - Instituti i Statistikave (in Albanian). Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Попис становништва, домаћинстава и станова 2011. у Републици Србији" (PDF) (in Serbian). Statistics of Serbia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  5. ^ "THIRD REPORT SUBMITTED BY SERBIA PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES". Council of Europe. p. 14-15. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. ^ "STATISTIČKI GODIŠNJAK 2011" (PDF). Statistics of Montenegro: 46. Retrieved 31 July 2019. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "1. POPULATION BY ETHNICITY – DETAILED CLASSIFICATION, 2011 CENSUS". Croatia Bureau of Statistics. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. ^ Nielsen, Jørgen; Akgönül, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Racius, Egdunas, eds. (2013). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 5. BRILL. p. 370. ISBN 9789004255869.
  9. ^ a b c d e Valeriu Nicolae; Hannah Slavik (2007). Roma Diplomacy. IDEA. ISBN 978-1-932716-33-7.
  10. ^ Elsie, Robert (15 November 2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810874831 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "History of the Balkan Egyptians". Council of Europe.
  12. ^ Даскалова, Ангелина; Мария Райкова (2005). Грамоти на българските царе (in Bulgarian). София: Академично издателство "Марин Дринов". p. 57.
  13. ^ Trubeta, Sevasti (March 2005). "Balkan Egyptians and Gypsy/Roma Discourse" (PDF). Nationalities Papers. 33 (1): 71–95. doi:10.1080/00905990500053788. S2CID 155028453.
  14. ^ History of the Balkan Egyptians by R.Zemon
  15. ^ Memorandum of the Society for Threatened People on the Issue of Lead Poisoning of Roma in IDP Camps in Kosovo, GFBV.
  16. ^ a b c "Notes made from the Ashkali and Egyptian communities for the shadow report on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Kosovo" (PDF). Minelres.lv. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2015-12-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Abedin Toplica: "Flamuri Kombëtar i Ashkalive / Zastava Aškalija / The National Flag", Ashkali Horizonti, nr. 2, 2003 www.ashkali.org.yu "The flag is red with a black rising eagle in front of a green disk. The red and black color are similar to the Albanian flag. The green disk represent[s] Islam"

Footnotes[]

a.   ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognised as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states have recognised Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

Cited works[]

External links[]

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