The performance of the Hajj by Kosovo Albanians during the Ottoman period

From: Agron Islami

Visiting the Kaaba constitutes the fifth pillar of Islam – after shahadat (witnessing the Oneness of God and Muhammad's prophethood), prayer, fasting and zakat (giving part of one's wealth to charity). According to the principles of Islam, even visiting the Kaaba is an obligation only for those believers who meet the conditions set forth in the laws that originate from the holy book Quran and the tradition of the prophet (Prophet Muhammad).

Based on this principle, every Muslim who meets the criteria of maturity, health and economic power to bear the expenses during the journey - without neglecting the economic condition of his family (he must ensure that the family has enough food until he returns) – is obliged to fulfill this condition of Islam.

Albanians who recognized and accepted Islam as a religion, some earlier and some later, became part of the visitors to the holy places of Muslims (Mecca and Medina). Although we do not have accurate data on the first Albanian pilgrim from the territory of Kosovo who visited the Kaaba, from the data of the epitaphs carved on the stones it can be concluded that from the 1600th century (XNUMX onwards), among the pilgrims of the world Albanians also participated, who took this route in an organized manner for several months.

The route through which the Hajjiler caravan passed started in Yskydar of Istanbul, passed through Gebze, Eskisehir, Konja, Adana, Antakya, Aleppo (of Syria) to go towards Sham/Damascus which was also a meeting point with Hajjilers from other areas of Arabia. . Whereas, the kafil (community) of pilgrims coming from North Africa used to rest in Cairo, Egypt and then pass through the Arabian desert to reach Hijaz.

According to an anonymous treaty written in 1780, the Hajjilers who came from the areas of Ottoman Rumelia (Ottoman lands in Europe), or the area of ​​today's Balkans, followed the road to Istanbul and from there passed through Damascus towards Hijaz. In this treaty, 76 manzillas are mentioned that were used for vacations during the long trip of about three months that was made by the pilgrims.

The journey to Sham/Damascus was made with personal animals of pilgrims or candidates for pilgrimage. Whereas, from here on they continued with camels which they rented. This was done also because of the climate, since the camel was an animal of the area and adapted to this hot climate. At the same time, it should be noted that various researchers have brought evidence that pilgrims' vacations up to Damascus were done in special inns and menzils that were built for this purpose, while from Damascus to the holy places these vacations may have been done in tents and various personal hoes.

After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, travel to the holy places could also be done by ship. This was done from Istanbul via the Red Sea to the port of Xida. Another form of travel was by train - through the railway which was designed by Sultan Abdulhamit II (1876-1909). Sultan Abdulhamit's project aimed to make the railway all the way to Mecca. Then it should be connected to Jeddah and as an alternative route, the railway route from Mecca to Aqaba, Yemen, Najd and Baghdad should be made.

Thus, on September 1, 1900, the construction of the railway began in Damascus, attended by many Ottoman officials, the foreign diplomatic corps and many media. This railway, which was named Hijaz Railway as it united all the Muslims of the area, posed a high level of danger for the foreign European powers that had drawn up colonial policies for this area. Against the movements to hinder this project, the Sultan had foreseen that the spaces through which the train route would pass, would be populated only with residents of the Islamic faith.

Thus, after continuous work, on August 27, 1908, with the presence of Ottoman bureaucrats and many guests from diplomacy and the media, the first train from Damascus to Medina was launched. As a result of this railway, the road which used to take about 40 days by camel, was now reached in only 72 hours. But, with the fall of the Sultan from power in 1909, the project remained unrealized, even the Damascus-Medina road was deactivated as a result of the wars and the bombing of a part of the railway by the British.

As a result of the lack of notebooks of the kadijs of the cities of Kosovo - some of which were burned during the Second Balkan War - until now we do not have accurate information on the number of taverns in Kosovo or the way they were organized. However, from the information in the notebooks of other Ottoman areas, it is implied that the candidate for the hajj, before leaving for the Kaaba, drew up a will to the qadi of the city specifying the departure for the hajj and, in case of death on the way, giving the details of what would be done with his wealth. Since Suraiya Faroqhi - one of the most famous researchers of social life in the Ottoman period - for the evidence of the inns of the cities of Anatolia, has also taken as a basis the title of hajj carved on tombstones (in addition to testaments), we too, from field research we managed to identify some names of the innkeepers who performed the Hajj under the conditions of the Ottoman rule, such as Haxhi Mustafa Tasholli, son of Alitash from Gadimja (year of death 1726); Haxhi Mehmet, son of Adem from Pristina (d. 1879); Haxhi Sylejmanin, son of Shaban from Shtutica e Drenas (d. 1887); then, Haxhi Mehmet from Sadovina of the Circassians of Viti (d. 1876); Haxhi Bajram Efendiun from Ferizaj (d. 1886); Haxhi Ahmed, the son of Munish Aga from Reçak (d. 1902), etc. /Telegraph/