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An article detailing the history of Albanian religious tolerance, beyond prevalent myths.

Albanian Religious Tolerance: The History Beyond the Myths

The Balkan states are well-known for the widespread interethnic and interreligious conflict which has characterized the region’s historical and sociopolitical development for centuries. The Albanians deviate from this trend ...

Bleron Zajmi

3 days ago30 min read

12 Best Books to Understand the Albanians

Start here to learn about the Albanians, their history and culture. The following is a list of recommended reading for those interested in deepening their understanding of the Albanians. Composed by the Arbanon Magazine Editorial Team, it is meant to be a robust starting point rather than the final word on the best works covering this unique culture. Add your own picks in the comments below or through our social media sites . Valton's Picks: Father Shtjefën Gjeçovi’s Compila

Enri Lala

Jan 1213 min read

Altin Dumani, the head of the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK), which has pursued anti-corruption efforts in Albania and has become a model for Western Balkan neighbors, the European Union and the United States alike.

Altin Dumani’s Anti-Corruption Crusade: How to Fight Fire with Fire

Since the end of communism, organized crime and official corruption have placed the Albanian citizen at the whims of arbitrary currents of power. Through it all, the political elite remained untouched. Until now.

Enri Lala

Dec 24, 20257 min read

Isa Boletini was the leader who made Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire possible in a very difficult Balkan context.

There Would Have Been No Albanian Independence Without Isa Boletini

Albania required a military and political nucleus capable of asserting and defending its self-agency. That nucleus was Isa Boletini ...

Valton Vuciterna

Nov 28, 202513 min read

The founder of modern Albanian nationalism, Mit'hat Frashëri, appears before Vlora, the prominent Southern city where Albanian independence was declared in 1912 and which fought off Italian occupation in 1920.

History Come Alive: Mit’hat Frashëri’s Unforgettable Description of Vlora in 1912 and 1920

Two foundational dates in Vlora: 1912 and 1920. The former paved the way for the latter, which gave it form and soul. Thus, Twenty crowns Twelve and brings it honor ...

Enri Lala

Nov 27, 20259 min read

An analysis of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg through the telling perspective of Carl Jung's analytical psychology, especially his theory of archetypes.

The Collective Consciousness of the Albanian People: A Jungian Analysis of Skanderbeg

Gjergj Kastrioti, better known to the world as Skënderbeu or Skanderbeg, the 15th-century Albanian leader who resisted the Ottoman Empire for well over two decades, occupies a singular place not only in the chronicles and archives of military history but in the collective unconscious of his people. Jung argued that roups of people possess a psyche much like individuals; a collective mind filled with archetypes that give substantial form and meaning to their experience ...

Valton Vuciterna

Nov 20, 202511 min read

The 1389 Battle of Kosova remains one of the most mythologised events in Balkan history. Over time, it was transformed into Serbia’s foundational national legend, casting aside the roles of the Albanians, Hungarians and other Balkan ethnic groups who participated on the side of the Christian coalition. In this article, we explore how the Kosova Myth developed through centuries of reinterpretation from a variety of sociopolitical backgrounds, and to what extent Albanians took part in the battle itself as well as its place within Albanian historical tradition.

The Battle of Kosova (1389): Albanians and the Struggle Behind the Myth

In June of 1389 CE, two armies clashed near Fushë Kosovë in a battle whose ramifications would echo across the span of Balkan history and into the present day. Yet there is a deep contrast between the reality of the battle and the mythology that has developed in the centuries since ...

Bleron Zajmi

Nov 4, 202517 min read

Telling Albanian Success Stories: The Journey Behind the Përpara Podcast

“If we can help even one young person feel informed and inspired, our job is done.”

Elizabeth Vulaj

Oct 20, 20258 min read

A beautiful landscape of Rugova, Kosova.

How to Spend a Summer's Week in Kosova

While plenty of tourists – and Albanians themselves – seek the nightlife of Prishtina or the bustling, yet relaxing environment of Prizren’s old town, there are hidden gems within Kosova that are often overlooked ...

Valton Vuciterna

Sep 15, 20256 min read

A view of Mrizi i Zanave near Lezha in Northern Albania. The greenery of the surrounding countryside offers exceptional Mediterranean cuisine.

How to Spend a Summer’s Week in Albania

The restaurant Mrizi i Zanave near Lezha, Northern Albania. This article is the first in a two-part series, to soon be joined by “How to...

Enri Lala

Aug 23, 20257 min read

Former Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson against a backdrop of a scene from the NATO intervention at the twilight of the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.

Tucker Carlson is Dangerously Wrong About the Balkans

In a recent viral interview excerpt with Piers Morgan, Tucker Carlson framed NATO's 1999 intervention in Yugoslavia as offensive in...

Valton Vuciterna

Jul 21, 202512 min read

Roads Cannot Replace Ideals

Descending from the heights of the Riviera Highway and into the village proper, I was shocked to find that the main road running parallel to the beach remained not merely unpaved but disastrously so ...

Enri Lala

May 6, 20255 min read