Tetovo (Тетово) (Albanian: Tetovë, Turkish: Kalkandelen, translated as "Stitobod") - a town in northwestern Macedonia, on the slopes of Shara, ie in the lower Polog Valley. Tetovo is the seat of the municipality of the same name which covers an area of 261.89 km2, and together with the newly created municipalities that emerged from it and which still gravitate towards it, that area is 945.8 km2. Tetovo is a city with a rich history, inhabited by several ethnic communities.
The Turks also used the forms Kalkandeli
and Kalkandele, and the French consul Henri Pouquil mentions it with
the form Kalkandeluk. In addition, the city was mentioned with the
forms Tetoven and Teteven. The name Tetovo, according to a folk
legend, is associated with an unusual event from the time of Turkish
slavery. Namely, in the immediate vicinity of the city, between two
hills, lived a large snake that everyone was afraid of. No one was
trying to get the terrible beast to the square. Only a certain Teto
turned out to be a brave man. One day, armed with a bow and arrow
and a sword and shield, mounted on his fast horse, he headed for the
endangered place. When he got there, the snake appeared and blocked
his way. Teto was not afraid. He stretched his bow and challenged
the beast with an arrow. The snake began to react, making a sound.
Enraged, she hurried to the prey. But Teto was fearless. When the
reptile approached him, he swung his sharp, pointed sword and
pierced it. Thus the people were freed from the scarecrow, from the
dangerous beast. The fear of them came out, and the passage between
the two hills was free and easily passable. Since then, according to
legend, the place where the serpent was killed with a sword and a
shield (kalkan) was called Kalkandeli, and the city (in Turkish) -
Kalkandelen. In memory of the hero Teto, the local population named
the settlement Tetovo.
The other version is that the name
comes from the Old Slavic word "hъtѢti" - wants, "hъtѣto" - beloved
place. Around the middle of the XV century, with the fall of the
letter "x", the settlement was renamed Tetovo (Tetova). According to
folk etymology, Tetovo came from the word tendon. In connection with
this interpretation, the Turkish naming of the settlement -
Kalkandelen appeared even then. In a chrysovul of Tsar Dushan from
the middle of the 14th century, Tetovo is mentioned as a village,
and as a city settlement it is mentioned during the 15th century, as
the main point of Dolna and Gorna nahija. The famous Turkish travel
writer Haxhi Kalfa, who visited Tetovo around the middle of the 17th
century, mentions the city with the names Kalkandelen and Tetova. In
Albanian, the name of the city is Tetovë, ie Tetova.
Stone time
According to the latest data obtained through the
archeological excavations of the Neolithic sites Tumba near the
village Dolno Palchishte (1987/88.) And Pod selo tumba near the
village Stenche (2000), the oldest traces of life in the Polog
Valley (Tetovo and Gostvar region) date from 8000 years ago or more
precisely from the year 6100 BC. From these sites originate a large
number of excavated fragments, but also fully preserved pieces of
pottery, as well as altars and statuettes dedicated to the female
cult. In the area of Tetovo, many important representations of
rock art have been found as artistic compositions related to ritual
rituals.
This area throughout the Neolithic was inhabited by
the bearers of the cultural group Anzabegovo-Vrsnik, which was also
present in the Skopje region and Eastern Macedonia. In the early
Neolithic, however, this area was strongly influenced by the
Neolithic culture Velushina-Porodin from Pelagonija south of here,
which can be seen through the form of the oldest preserved altar
type Great Mother (Magna Mater) found in this area, discovered near
Stenche . The Late Neolithic is characterized by the influence of
the Vinca culture from the north.
Metal time
At the end of
the 4th millennium AD, the first incursions of new settlers began,
steppe peoples from Central Asia - Indo-Europeans, who by destroying
and assimilating the old Neolithic culture created a new Eneolithic
cultural complex in the Balkans, called Salkuca-Buban-Krivodol.
Traces of this new population were also found in Polog (in
Palchishte, Zelino, etc.). This situation stabilized in the Middle
Bronze Age when the first beginnings of the Balkan pre-ethnic and
later ethnic communities appeared. In this period begins a strong
penetration of material features from the south of the developed
Mycenaean culture, which can be seen through a parade of luxury
bronze sword found in Tetovo, imported from those Mycenaean centers.
Although the next epochs will be marked by mass migrations, the Iron
Age is still characterized by stabilization, which led to the
development of trade. The ceramic large pitos for cereals, found
near the village of Larce, also date from this period.
During this period, according to Strabo's records relating to the
mint at Damastion, and especially to the preserved onomastic traces
of later times, it can be seen that Polog was inhabited by Briges
(Briges, Brigoi). The Brigids were an integral part of the later
ethnic communities of the Paionians, the ancient Macedonians, the
Dasarets, the Edonites and the Migdonians. Even the Paionians,
although an ancient Bronze Age population, had indisputable ties to
the Brigids in this part of the Balkans. The Paeonian and Ancient
Macedonian linguistics and onomastics show a number of glosses and
names with Brigid roots, which points to the fact that the Brigids
were a substratum or base in the Paeonian and Ancient Macedonian
ethnic formation.
Early antiquity
In 1932. A bronze statue
from the Agrian period, IV century BC, was found near the place
called Balezova Cesma, and is a valuable archeological find, found
in the Tetovo district. The statue measures 9 cm long and 4 cm wide,
and is located in the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje. The influences
of the Greek craft centers on this part of the Balkans will actually
lead to an additional change in the culture and way of life of the
local populations. It is these changes that herald the new, archaic
period and the transition from the epoch of prehistory to the epoch
of history and antiquity. Archaeologically, these transformations
are visible through new material (new types of pottery, jewelry and
other handicrafts), and spiritual (new way of burial: cremation
instead of inhumation, acceptance of cults of Greek deities) and
other features, which were initially accepted as prestige from the
most elite social strata, and then from the rest of the population,
which is best seen from the so-called princely tombs, the most
famous of which is the one from Tetovo, in which the famous
statuette of Menada was found.
In the past there were various
theories as to which ancient tribe inhabited this area. However,
according to the latest information, the entire area of Southern
Serbia, Eastern Kosovo and Northern Macedonia, including Polog, in
this period, until the third century BC. was inhabited by the
northernmost ancient Macedonian (Paeonian) tribe Agrianes. This is
seen in the continuity in the archeological horizons, the developed
ceramic import from the Greek south, the rich princely tombs and the
like. This tribe had its own kings, the most famous of which is
Langaros who in 335 BC. helped the Macedonian king Alexander III
during his campaign against the Tribals in the north. The Agrians
followed him on his campaign through Asia when they proved to be one
of the most ruthless warriors in many key battles, after which they
became especially famous in the ancient world.
Due to
economic and trade development, certain cities also minted their own
autonomous coins. Such was the case with the city of Pelagia, which
throughout the 4th century BC. he minted his own silver coins at the
Damastion mint. The city of Pelagia is considered to be located near
today's Tetovo, and is in fact, in the urban sense, its ancient
ancestor, from whose name the later Slavic name of the whole valley
Polog (Pelagia-Polog, as in the case of Skupi-Skopje, Astibo-Stip,
Thessaloniki-Thessaloniki, etc.).
Towards the end of the IV
century BC. The weakened Agrian state came under the rule of King
Avdoleon of Paeonia, and by the middle of the third century BC, all
their territories were occupied by the Dardanians from the north
(south to northern Macedonia and Polog), which can be seen through
discontinuity in the archaeological horizons of that period. These
border areas throughout the following period will be used as a
logistical background, from where Dardania organized strong looting
campaigns in the south to the rich kingdom of Macedonia, even after
those territories fell within the Roman Empire in 168 BC.
Roman period
It was not until the 29th century AD. and Polog,
along with the rest of Dardania, as far north as the Danube, would
descend under Roman rule, beginning an era of stabilization,
peaceful life, trade, and prosperity. From the II-III century AD.
There are several stone tablets on which the epitaph is written in
Greek, which says that this region was part of the Greek language
sphere, unlike Kosovo and the Skopje region which were part of the
Latin language sphere. This means that in the Early Imperial period
(I-III century AD) Polog was part of the Roman province of
Macedonia, and in late Attica (III-VI century AD), after the reforms
of Diocletian part of the province of Macedonia II (Macedonia
Secunda). The found stelae also contain rich onomastic material and
personal names that are predominantly indigenous and from which it
can be seen that the Romanization of these peripheral ends, outside
the main roads, did not gain much momentum.
Taught by the great barbarian invasions (Celts, Ostrogoths, Huns)
that occurred more frequently from the 3rd century and lasted
through the following centuries, Roman emperors began in the late
4th century to build fortified cities and fortresses on dominant
hills. Numerous castrum, castellum and refugium for the population
in the Tetovo area date from that period, the most important of
which are those near the present-day villages of Rogle, Orasje,
Leshok, Stenche, Jegunovce, Gradec and the Isar-Banjice area.
Tetovo.
Although Christianity in Macedonia came with St. Paul
the Apostle in the 50s of the 1st century AD, still only after the
legalization of Constantine in 313 AD. it could penetrate more
massively to the common people, and start building early Christian
churches - basilicas. To date, traces of 16 early Christian
basilicas have been registered in Polog, of which 12 in the Tetovo
area and 4 in the Gostivar area, with the best studied being the
Stenche basilica from the 5th century AD. which is unique in
Macedonia with 3 baptisteries (baptisteries), and the one in Tudence
which dates from the second sex. VI century. and is the oldest
triconch (three-nave) church in the Republic of Macedonia, and is
rare in all of Southern Europe.
However, after the strong
Avar-Slavic penetrations in the late VI century AD. all fortresses
are abandoned but not completely demolished. Most of them, two or
three centuries later, when a stable state organization was
re-established, will be rebuilt for the same purpose, but this time
they will be inhabited by the dominant Slavic population, laying the
foundations for the new medieval towns.
Medieval period
The Slavic colonized population dominated the most important places
in the plain, giving a new, Slavic name Podlog, probably meaning
under the mountain (under the mountain). Then they destroyed many
fortresses and settlements. But from the 5th century Byzantium
regained control of the area, fortifying the most important ruined
fortresses and maintaining a permanent military garrison. In the
time of King Samuel, Polog was part of his state. After the fall of
Samuel's Kingdom, Polog and Leshok (Lesh'k, Leshek) were mentioned
as city settlements in the Polog Valley. The Arab scientist Idrizi,
who, as a geographer and travel writer, visited this area around the
middle of the XII century, more precisely in 1153, in his
description of the road from Ohrid, through Skopje, to the valley of
the river Struma, mentions the city of Polog. He, in his travelogue,
says: "From Ohrid for two days we travel on a difficult road to the
city of Bologo (Polog), located between two hills, and the river
Fardari (Vardar) passes by it. The journey from Bologo to Iskofla
(Skopje) lasts only one day ". Later, in the 15th century, Barletti
wrote about the "city of Polog" ("urbus Pologus"), who also
identified Polog with Tetovo. However, there are conflicting
opinions in science about the location of the medieval city of
Polog. Some authors point out that this Polog city was located near
Tetovo, others near Gradiste (today's village Gradec), and still
others near the village Miletino.
Archaeological findings show that the city of Polog, which is
mentioned in the XII century, was located near Gradiste (Gradec). If
we take into account that the medieval cities of Hjtovo (Tetovo) and
Bahjica (Gostivar) were then rural settlements, the second variant
is quite convincing - that the city of Polog was located near
Gradiste (Gradec). In Greek, Polog was mentioned in the form
"Pologos". Some scholars are of the opinion that in the XI and XII
centuries there was no city Polog, but only an area. Otherwise,
Polog, (from bo-log), according to some authors was mentioned with
the meaning of god's mountain, (paradise of god), which
interpretation, above all, from the beautiful location of the city
and the valley, (Polog). According to other authors, polog means
mountain slope (foot, sub-hill or hill). With the word polog, the
ancient Slavs meant a valley (low place, plain), surrounded on all
sides by heights (hills or mountains). When H't'tovo (Tetovo) was a
village in Dolni Polog (until the end of the 12th century), the
medieval town of L'sh'k existed, which at that time was the main
spiritual, cultural and economic center in the Polog Valley. This
medieval city, however, was ravaged and destroyed in 1189, after the
Serbian army entered the area, led by Prince Stefan Nemanja, as a
border town of Byzantium. Then the city of Polog was destroyed, as
well as some other settlements in northern Macedonia. According to a
legend, in the wider area of today's village Leshok, in the late
medieval time, the city of Legen-grad existed (Legendgrad). This
medieval city is also mentioned by Kiril Pejчиinovi во in his
description of the monastery “St. Anastasij ”(in Leshok). However,
when this Polog region came under Turkish rule at the end of the
14th century (1352), with the colonization of the Muslim population
in the Polog valley in the 15th and 16th centuries, Legendgrad
ceased to exist. The colonized then devastated and destroyed 7-8
Christian churches in the city, as well as the old monastery and the
fortress around it. Tetovo, as a settlement, is first mentioned in a
written document in the XII century, under the name H't'tovo, but
that does not mean that the settlement was not established earlier.
The oldest settlement in H't'tovo (Tetovo) was the place around the
church "St. Bogorodica ”, at the exit of the river Pena from Shar
Mountain.
Ottoman period
The famous geographer and travel
writer Hadzi Kalfa, during his travels through these parts, in his
notes names the city as Tetovo and as Kalkandela and describes it as
an oriental city that resembles the settlements of the Middle East.
At the end of the same century, Tetovo was destroyed in a fire, so
that throughout the 18th century, it is not mentioned in the
registers as a city settlement. However, the state reforms carried
out in the Ottoman Empire itself since the early 19th century had a
strong impact on its restructuring into an important economic
center. Ami Bue, also a Turkish travel writer and geographer,
describes Tetovo as a clean city, you are very green. According to
him, the city had 4000-5000 inhabitants, half of whom were
Christians (Macedonians), while the rest were Turks and Albanians.
Ami Bue, like Hadji Kalfa, compares Tetovo to the cities of the
Orient, where monuments erected mostly during the Turkish rule could
be found. At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, Tetovo
developed into a famous trade and craft place. In the period from
the Balkan wars, despite the emigration of the Turkish population,
there was an increase in the city from different ethnic structures,
most of which are Albanians.
Revival and Ilinden period
There are no special written documents about the participation of
the Tetovo region in the liberation struggle, at the time when the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization was developing its
extensive activity in Macedonia. It is known that the population in
Polog, according to the conditions, took an active part in the
preparations for the Ilinden Uprising, as well as in the actions
after its suppression. A Local Committee of VMRO was formed in
Tetovo, which worked not only on the ideological education, but also
on the physical preparation of the people for armed action. These
preparations included all capable men from the town and the
countryside. Some of those who were trained to handle weapons were
later transferred to detachments formed in the area of Kichevo.
All this was done in secret, because the Turkish government in this
area was very well organized and had the support of the Muslim
population. The local organization of VMRO played a special role in
supplying the insurgents with weapons, especially rifles, which were
made by the famous Tetovo masters - riflemen (riflemen).
During this period, Manlicher rifles and the famous Tetovo
martinis were made in Tetovo. There was a special workshop on the
Pena River for this, and the making of the rifles was organized by
trusted people. Among others, Risto Kostov - Sican and Sane Ristov -
Gule were in charge of carrying out this action, who organized
secret channels for transmission and handing over of rifles in
certain places in the Kichevo region. First, the rifles were
transferred to the village of Blace, which is located at the foot of
Suva Gora, where there was an underground hiding place in the house
of Kostadin Velkovski. The rifles were hidden there, and then with
horses and donkeys - mostly loaded with pots, and among them rifles
and ammunition - were carried through the mountain passes in
Kichevo. The local organization of VMRO in Tetovo also organized a
secret pharmacy that supplied the troops with medicines and medical
supplies.
After the suppression of the Ilinden Uprising, some
armed detachments in this area continued the action for some time.
Such detachments mainly operated in the forest areas and had
constant contacts with the detachments in the Poreч region and
Kichevo region. It is known that the company that operated on Suva
Gora was led by Sofre Gjorgjievski from the village of Radiovce, who
gathered a large group of comites from the Macedonian villages at
the foot of Suva Gora and continued to fight for two more years,
until he was surprised by the Turkish seals and caught sleeping at
night in a hut in the forests of Suva Gora. He was then sentenced to
one hundred and one years in prison, of which he served only three,
because due to the amnesty and the frequent protests and demands of
the Macedonian population from this area, the Turkish authorities
released him. Sofre Gjorgjievski's company fought during the summer,
and in winter it spent the winter in the villages of Stenche,
Volkovija, Chelopek, Leshnica and Blace, where it had safe shelters.
After the suppression of the uprising, other reprisals were
undertaken by the Turkish authorities. For example, other people
from Tetovo are imprisoned, such as the case of Milan Mladenov, Trpe
Altikolac, priest Dime Sarov and Tome Smilkovski. Milan Mladenov and
Trpe Altikolac were also sentenced to one hundred and one years in
prison, the first in the Diyarbakir fortress in Asia Minor and the
second in the Fezan district, deep in the Libyan desert in North
Africa. The others were sentenced to several years in prison and
taken to Kurshumli an in Skopje.
XX century
On March 19,
1943, the Communist Party of Macedonia was formed in Tetovo, in the
house of the Jovanovci family, which today is a museum.
Tetovo was liberated in the Second World War on November 19, 1944 by
the Third, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Nineteenth Macedonian
Brigades, as the last liberated city on the territory of Macedonia.
The 2001 conflict
With the entry of some Kosovo terrorists on
the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, in the beginning of
February in the Kumanovo village Tanushevci, and later with its
expansion on the territory of Tetovo on March 14, 2001, in Tetovo a
conflict occurred between the Macedonian army and police on the one
hand and The People's Liberation Army on the other hand. After a few
days, the Macedonian security forces start the action for cleaning
the terrorists and with that begins the so-called Battle of Tetovo,
which is the largest arrangement of the Macedonian army and police
in the 2001 conflict. Macedonian forces with about 3,000 troops
attacked Baltepe and the Tetovo fortress, which was the scene of
fierce battles with local Albanian terrorists and Kosovo criminal
extremist gangs. The battle was for control of the city and ended in
a heavy defeat for the NLA.
Area and location
Most of
Tetovo stretches in the plains, and only a smaller part, mainly the
older one, lies on the slopes of Baltepe, a hill 806 meters high.
The absolute altitude of the city is between 450 and 500 meters.
Lately, urban planners are making efforts to expand the city to a
mountainous area that is slightly elevated and favorable for an
urban construction area.
The climate is moderately
continental, with hot and relatively humid summers, cold and snowy
winters, spring and autumn with frequent rainfall. Natural
conditions such as climate, relief, geological composition of the
country, have enabled the emergence of many water sources in the
Tetovo area. Therefore, Tetovo is one of the few cities in Macedonia
that has drinking water, water for industry and irrigation water.