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Today Albanians celebrate the 97th year of Independence.  Independence was declared by Ismail Qemali, in Vlora (the capital city of Albania at the time) and signalled the end of 500 years of Ottoman rule.

Remembering the Past:

The Illyrians are believed to have evolved directly from the Stone Age. They occupied the western Balkans from modern Slovenia to approximately half of the way through modern Greece. Shkodra, the largest city in northern Albania, was the capital. The Illyrians were sociable and hospitable people, like Albanians today. They were also brave fighters and known for their courage in war. Around 8-6th Century B.C., the neighbouring Greeks began to create colonies along the Albanian borders. Likened to the more advanced Greeks, the Illyrians were greatly influenced and started to evolve politically and economically.

Albania was continually attacked by more foreign armies - Bulgarians, Normans, Serbs and Venetians all wreaked havoc on the Albanians until the conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1388. In 1443, an Albanian military mastermind, Gjergj Kastrioti (The Great Skanderbeg), united the Albanians and drove out the Turks. After Kastrioti’s death the Turks finally returned in 1468, however the desire for independence was still strong within the Albanians.

Throughout the 19th Century, resisting the Turks, the leaders led their country with the rallying cry, “The religion of Albanians is Albanianism!” The leaders formed the Albanian League in 1878 to unite the country and develop the native language, literature, education and to adopt a new alphabet. In 1908, the Albanians fought again and in 1912 they achieved their full independence in Vlore.

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