Editing Tirana (section)

=== Early development ===
[[File:Tirana,_Albania_2017-04_Tirana_Mosaic_02.jpg|thumb|left|The mosaics of an [[Tirana Mosaic|Ancient Roman]] house from the 3rd century AD]]

The area of Tirana has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times with the earliest recognised reference found at the [[Cave of Pëllumbas]] belonging to the Palaeolithic period. [[Illyrians]] were the first population of the area and formed most likely the core of the [[Illyrian kingdom]] of the [[Taulantii]], which in classical antiquity was centered in the hinterland of [[Durrës|Epidamnus]].<ref name="Hammond">{{cite journal |last=Hammond |first=Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière |publisher=[[British School at Athens]] |title=The Kingdoms in Illyria circa 400-167 B.C. |journal=The Annual of the British School at Athens |volume=61 |year=1966 |jstor=30103175 |page=247 |doi=10.1017/S0068245400019043 |s2cid=164155370}}</ref> When the Romans arrived in Illyria after their victory of the [[Illyrian Wars]], they populated and integrated the area into their empire under the political control of the city of Rome. The oldest surviving discovery from this period is a [[Tirana Mosaic|Roman house]] dating to the 3rd century, which was transformed into an [[aisleless church]] with a mosaic floor. A [[Fortress of Justinian|castle]], possibly known as ''Tirkan'', was built by the Byzantine Emperor [[Justinian I]] between the 4th and 6th century and later restored by Ahmed Pasha Toptani in the 18th century.<ref name="Heppner1994">{{cite book |last=Heppner |first=Harald |title=Hauptstädte in Südosteuropa: Geschichte, Funktion, nationale Symbolkraft |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzVfQTE-dD8C&q=Theranda%20name&pg=PA135 |year=1994 |publisher=Wien u.a. Böhlau |pages=133, 135 |isbn=978-3-205-98255-5 |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121063852/https://books.google.com/books?id=EzVfQTE-dD8C&q=Theranda%20name&pg=PA135 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Castillo de Petrela, Petrela, Albania, 2014-04-17, DD 02.JPG|thumb|left|[[Petrelë Castle|Castle of Petrelë]] was founded in the 6th century by [[Justinian I]].]]

Tirana is mentioned in [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] documents in the 1350s as well as in 1418: ''"...the resident Pjeter, son of late Domenik from the village of Tirana..."''.<ref name="Heppner2"/> Records of the first land registrations under the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] in 1431–32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, with nearly 2,028 houses and 7,300 inhabitants.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} In 1510, [[Marin Barleti]], an Albanian Catholic priest and scholar, in the biography of the Albanian national hero [[Skanderbeg]], ''Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis'' (''The story of life and deeds of Skanderbeg, the prince of Epirotes''), referred to this area as a small village, distinguishing between "Little Tirana" and "Great Tirana".<ref name="Heppner2">{{cite book |last=Heppner |first=Harald |title=Hauptstädte in Südosteuropa: Geschichte, Funktion, nationale Symbolkraft |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzVfQTE-dD8C&q=Theranda%20name&pg=PA135 |year=1994 |publisher=Wien u.a. Böhlau |pages=137 |isbn=978-3-205-98255-5 |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121063852/https://books.google.com/books?id=EzVfQTE-dD8C&q=Theranda%20name&pg=PA135 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is later mentioned in 1572 as ''Borgo di Tirana''.<ref>{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zHxsWspxGIIC&pg=PA451 |page=451 |title=Islamic Desk Reference |author=E. J. Van Donzel |quote="il borgo di Tirana" is already mentioned as early as 1572 |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1994 |isbn=9780585305561 |oclc=45731063 |access-date=5 January 2016 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121063852/https://books.google.com/books?id=zHxsWspxGIIC&pg=PA451#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Johann Georg von Hahn|Hahn]], the settlement had already started to develop as a [[bazaar]] and included several [[watermill]]s,<ref name="Miho">{{cite book |title=Trajta të profilit urbanistik të qytetit të Tiranës : prej fillimeve deri më 1944 |oclc=20994870 |author=Koco Miho |location=Tirana |publisher=[[8 Nëntori Publishing House|8 Nëntori]] |year=1987 |editor=J.Tocka |page=57}}</ref> even before 1614, when [[Sulejman Bargjini]], a local ruler, built the [[Sylejman Pasha Mosque|Old Mosque]], a small commercial centre, and a [[Turkish bath|''hammam'']] (Turkish bath). This is confirmed by oral sources, which state that there were two earlier mosques 300–400 m from the Old Mosque, towards today's [[Ali Demi Street]]. The Mosque of Reç and the Mosque of Mujo were positioned on the left side of the [[Lana river|Lana River]] and were older than the Old Mosque.<ref name="Miho"/> Later, the [[Et'hem Bey Mosque]], built by [[Molla Bey of Petrela]], was constructed. It employed the best [[artisans]] in the country and was completed in 1821 by Molla's son [[Etëhem Bey Mollaj|Etëhem]], who was also Sulejman Bargjini's great-nephew.

In 1800, the first newcomers arrived in the [[Human settlement|settlement]]{{clarify|date=February 2019}}, the so-called ''ortodoksit''. They were [[Aromanians]] from villages near [[Korçë]] and [[Pogradec]], who settled around modern day [[Tirana Park on the Artificial Lake]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forum-al.com/ |title="Tiranasit" e ardhur rishtaz |publisher=Gazeta Shqiptare |access-date=17 August 2008 |language=sq |archive-date=2 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202054230/http://www.forum-al.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They started to be known as the ''llacifac'' and were the first Christians to arrive after the creation of the town.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Delvina |first=Sherif |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/124184965 |title=Low Albania (Epirus) and Cham issue |date=2006 |publisher=Eurorilindja |isbn=99943-861-0-7 |location=Tiranë |pages=196 |oclc=124184965 |access-date=18 October 2022 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121063833/https://search.worldcat.org/title/124184965 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1807, Tirana became the centre of the [[Subprefecture]] of Krujë-Tirana.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}} After 1816, Tirana languished under the control of the ''Toptani'' family of [[Krujë]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} Later, Tirana became a sub-prefecture of the newly created [[Vilayet of Shkodër]] and the Sanjak of Durrës. In 1889, the [[Albanian language]] started to be taught in Tirana's schools,{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} and the patriotic club Bashkimi was founded in 1908.
[[File:Bazar Tirana (ca. 1900)2.jpg|thumb|right|The Old Bazaar at the turn of the 20th century. The [[Sulejman Pasha Mosque]] is visible in the background. It was destroyed in [[World War II]].]]