The Ottomans erected garrisons throughout southern Albania by 1415 and occupied most of Albania by 1431. In 1466 Mehmet II constructed on the Shkumbin River a massive castle, whereon he named Elbasan, meaning 'conquered country' in Turkish. It became the seat of Sanjak of Elbasan, a centre of Ottoman urban civilisation over the next 445 years. Even after the Ottoman occupation Elbasan remained a center of Islam in Albania.
As a result, many aspects of Turkish culture were adopted by the Albanians living in the region. This was very well reflected in traditional clothes, especially in the female ones. A man’s costume consists of close-fitting woolen trousers with black cord trim (Tirq), gathered around the waist with a belt (Brez), and a silk embroidered waistcoat (Jelek). On the head, the men wears a white brimless felt cap (Qeleshe). Their traditional footwear was Opinga.
The women wears embroidered blouses in the Turkish style, with loose pants (Shalvaras). An elaborately embroidered apron complete the outfit. Gold coins are worn on a headband and on several strands of necklace that adorn the bodice (upper part) of the dress. The headdress (Kapica) are made of satin fabric and are decorated with pendants. The velvet waistcoats (Jelek) are embroidered with flower and leaf motifs worked in couched gold thread.
About the stamps
The first stamp is one of the two issued on November 15, 2013 to mark the 100th Anniversary of the International Red Cross. The second is part of the series Tourism - National Parks, issued on November 16, 2015.
References
Elbasan - Wikipedia
Traditional Albanian clothing - Wikipedia
Albanian Traditional Costumes - Panacomp
Sender: Indrit Muha (direct swap)
Sent from Elbasan (Elbasan / Albania), on 07.09.2016
Photo: Armando Baguca
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