It is best to start the day with
some information about Kosovo, the 76th country I landed in last night, which
is an interesting country in many ways. After World War II, Kosovo became an
Autonomous Province within Yugoslavia. Tensions between Kosovo's Albanian and
Serb communities simmered during the 20th century. The tensions occasionally
led to major violence such as the Kosovo Wars of 1998 and 1999.
Kosovo unilaterally declared its
independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 and has since gained diplomatic
recognition by at least 110 member states of the United Nations. Serbia does
not officially recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state and continues to claim it
as its constituent. Therefore, one cannot travel directly between Kosovo and
Serbia. In December 2022, Kosovo filed a formal application to become a member
of the European Union.
Kosovo is officially a secular
republic with no state religion, though over 95% of its population profess
Islam as their religion, mostly Sunni. Through its constitution, the government
guarantees freedom of belief, conscience, and religion for all citizens. There
is a clear legal separation between religious institutions and the state.
Kosovo is considered one of the
poorest countries in Europe. It is a lower-middle-income economy, with over a
quarter of the population living below the national poverty line. The per
capita income in Kosovo at PPP is $21,800. The economy relies heavily on
international airport and overseas remittances. While unemployment is a major
problem in the country, Kosovo has experienced steady economic growth in recent
years. A factor in its favour is that the inflation has been consistently low.
The population of Kosovo is
nearly 1.6 million, of whom approximately 92% are ethnic Albanians. The
official languages are Albanian and Serbian, that hold equal status within the
country. The people are called Kosovans. Kosovo's capital and most populous
city is Pristina. Kosovo unilaterally adopted the euro in 2002 without a formal
monetary agreement with the European Union or membership in the Eurozone. Prior
to the euro, Kosovo had used the German Deutsche Mark from 1999 when it moved
away from the Yugoslav dinar. Kosovo's largest trading partners are Albania,
Italy, Switzerland, China, Germany and Turkey. The country has large reserves
of lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron and bauxite. The nation has
the fifth-largest lignite reserves in the world.
Since I landed at the airport
last evening the Matrix international sim has not been working. When I
contacted the Matrix team - their service is very prompt - I was told that
Kosovo and Montenegro are not covered in the Europe packet I had chosen. I was
in a fix. While the Wi-Fi in the accommodation was good, I would be flying
blind when I left it. And, I had a lot on my plate to do this day. Internet
research told me that Vala and IPKO are the two popular Sim card providers in
Kosovo. I thought of buying one in the city during my walk. Certain as I was
that I would be able to sort out my data connection issues, I set Google maps
to just the first three locations in the itinerary.
It was quite cold when I walked
out of the accommodation at 8.30 am. Most shops were shut and very few people
were around. The first monument I came to while walking to the Mother Teresa
boulevard was the Brotherhood and Unity monument, a modernist Yugoslav war
memorial located in Adem Jashari Square. The monument was completed in 1961 and
it commemorates anti-fascist Partisan fighters of World War II from the region.
The monument features a 22-meter-high concrete obelisk made of three
interconnected pillars, symbolizing unity of the three main ethnic groups in
the region during the Yugoslav era: Albanians, Serbs, and Montenegrins.
At the
base are eight bronze sculptures representing Partisan fighters. Built under
Josip Broz Tito’s philosophy of "Brotherhood and Unity," the
construction of the monument involved demolishing parts of Pristina's old
Ottoman bazaar. The surrounding square was renamed after KLA commander Adem
Jashari following the 1998–1999 Kosovo War. The monument has faced political
debate, minor damages, and proposals for removal or relocation over the
decades, though it has been preserved and cleaned up in recent urban
renovations.
The Skanderbeg Square is the
central public plaza located in the heart of the capital city. It serves as a
primary social, cultural, and political hub for locals and visitors. Central to
the square is the Skanderbeg Equestrian Statue, erected in 2001, honouring the
15th-century Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, who led the
resistance against the Ottoman Empire. The monument depicts him on horseback
with his sword unsheathed.
The square features the Kosovo
War Memorial and Missing Persons, a memorial dedicated to the victims of the
Kosovo conflict, alongside a display of photographs honouring missing persons
from the war. The square connects directly to Rugova Square, with a bronze
statue of the former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova prominently displayed. The
entire square and its adjoining boulevards are completely closed to automobile
traffic. The edges of the square are lined with outdoor cafes and restaurants
that fill up during the day and evening, making it a popular spot for
people-watching and socializing.
The Mother Teresa Statue located
in the Mother Teresa boulevard was unveiled in 2002 honouring the Albanian-born
Roman Catholic nun. The bronze statue depicts Mother Teresa in a moment of
spiritual embrace. A child emerges from the folds of her drapery, symbolizing
the vulnerable lives she dedicated herself to protecting.
The Mother Teresa Boulevard is
the vibrant pedestrian artery of Pristina, stretching through the city centre
and serving as a lively hub of social, cultural, and civic life. Flanked by
cafés, restaurants, shops, and government buildings, the boulevard is a
favourite gathering place for locals and visitors alike. Originally named
Marshal Tito Street during the Yugoslav era, it was renamed in honour of Mother
Teresa, reflecting Kosovo’s deep cultural ties to the Albanian-born
humanitarian.
While walking along the Mother
Teresa boulevard I went into a mobile store and asked for directions where I
could obtain a Sim card form. She told me that a Vala store near the Zahir
Pajaziti Square, which is at the southern end of the boulevard. Zahir Pajaziti
was one of the earliest commanders and founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
and upon his death in 1997 was posthumously honoured as a "Hero of
Kosovo".
The Vala store was not open and
many potential customers came up to its closed door and walked away muttering
under their breath. I surmised that the store may open late, it being a Sunday.
Therefore, I set out to explore the Newborn Monument that was not far from the
square.
It is a massive typographic sculpture that commemorates the country's
declaration of independence. It is located in front of the Palace of Youth and
Sports and was unveiled on February 17, 2008, the exact day Kosovo declared
independence from Serbia. The monument stands 3 meters tall and spans 24 meters
in width, weighing 9 tons. The monument changes its colour scheme and artistic
message every year on Independence Day (February 17) to reflect social and
political issues. Designs have highlighted themes like isolation, EU
recognition flags, gender equality, environmental protection, and resilience.
From the monument I walked back
to the Vala store hoping that the store would be open. My hopes were belied. I
hung around there, hoping against hope, eating some chestnuts I bought off a
vendor in the Zahir Pajaziti Square. While waiting, I met an elderly gentleman
who had also come there to seek the service of telecom company. He read the
signs displayed on the door of the store and told me that it would not open on
Sunday. I was ambushed. I didn't know how I would be able to accomplish what I
had scheduled for the rest of the day. I remembered the days when I had driven
from India to Europe without any GPS map support.
I spied the new Mother Teresa
Cathedral a short distance away and set my sights there. The Roman Cathedral is
one of the city's tallest buildings and was inaugurated in 2010, even though it
was formally consecrated only in 2017, coinciding with the first anniversary of
her canonization. The cathedral features bright, airy interiors with colourful
stained-glass windows depicting Mother Teresa, popes, and Albanian historical
figures, plus carved eagle details on the pews. Being a Sunday, worshippers had
started arriving for the 11 am Albanian service. The cathedral also has a
250-foot bell tower, which is accessible by an elevator. A small fee is levied
for the elevator access. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit the elevator
was non-operational and I missed the opportunity of 360-degree panoramic views
of Pristina.
From the cathedral I walked to
the National Library of Kosovo. While designing the library started in the
1970s, it was completed in 1982. The interesting architecture with 74 domes is
one of the most visited sites in Kosovo, with opinions split between those who
find it mesmerising and those who consider it dull, prison-like or plain ugly.
The library houses over 2 million books, newspapers, manuscripts, and digital
archives. The interior features active reading rooms, study areas, and public
spaces. The library continues to expand its digital framework and unified catalogue
system, connecting dozens of public and university libraries across the
country. Again, being a Sunday, the library was closed to visit.
A stone's throw away from the
National Library is the unfinished Cathedral of Christ the Savior, belonging to
the Serbian Orthodox diocese. Construction of the Cathedral, which began in
1992, was halted in 1999, following the Kosovo wars. Legal disputes over the
building and its territory have left the cathedral unfinished and in a state of
disrepair. A gleaming gold cross atop the main dome is the lone exception.
From there I made my way to the
Bill Clinton statue. Along the way, I thought I had lost my orientation. I
sought guidance from a passerby. Instead of explaining the route to me he
walked me to the statue. Before parting ways with the gentleman, I asked him
for directions to the Prishtina bus station. A firm handshake and a warm smile
and he was on his way.
The statue of Bill Clinton honours
the former U.S. President for leading the 1999 NATO bombing campaign that
halted Yugoslav military crackdowns and paved the way for Kosovo's
independence. It stopped the persecution of ethnic Albanians during the Kosovo
War. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority views Clinton as a saviour and liberator
who helped end the conflict. The country remains one of the most pro-American
nations in the world.
From there I walked a kilometre
to the Prishtina Bus Station to check out services to Prizren. The bus station
also looked deserted, but I found a bus in one of the platforms, bound for
Prizren. From the driver I found out that services to Prizren can be had almost
every half hour, which takes about 2 hours to reach its destination, and that I
could buy the €5 ticket from the driver of the bus. I went inside the terminal
and confirmed from a desk that the bus to Podgorica, which I would be taking on
20th from there, would leave from platform 15 at 1700 hours.
It was time to retrace my steps
back to the accommodation. Along the way I rested for a while on a bench in a
small park in front of a few residential houses. Close to it was a fibre
sculpture entitled the "Unknown Soldier". It honours the strength,
sacrifice, and historical contributions of women in society. It stands as a
tribute to women's roles across history.
Past the Mother Teresa Cathedral,
I sat at a table outside a Burek restaurant and ordered a portion of meat
Burek. Burek has ancient Turkish and Ottoman roots and is a beloved national
staple across the Balkans. The one I had in Tirana, Albania was far better to
what I had this day.
On the way back I came across the
Assembly Building of the Republic of Kosovo. The building, originally
constructed in the late 1940s/1950s, and significantly redesigned and reworked
in the early 1960s, underwent modern refurbishments following Kosovo's declaration
of independence in 2008. It was in the plenary hall of this building that the
historic Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted and signed on February
17, 2008. The building has 5 floors and multiple entrances, including the main
entrance facing Ibrahim Rugova Square. With prior permission visitors can
attend plenary sessions of the National Assembly.
Not far from the National
Assembly building stands the oldest building in Prishtina, the Çarshi Mosque,
aka the Bazaar Mosque. The construction of the mosque, which began in 1389,
continued into the 15th century to commemorate the Ottoman victory in the Battle
of Kosovo. Built in the classical early Ottoman imperial style, featuring a
square plan, a central dome on pendentives, an open portico, and a slim
polygonal stone minaret with an original stone spire (which gave it the name
Taş or Stone Mosque). The interior features a decorated mihrab with muqarnas, a
stone minbar, a muezzin mehfil, a women's gallery, and traditional fresco secco
arabesques. At the entrance to the 700-year-old mosque is a plaque that gives
historical dates of the mosque and its restoration in 2023, thanks to the
Government of Turkey.
A few steps away from the Mosque
is the Kosovo Museum, which is currently under renovation. Kosovo Museum. It is
the country's largest and oldest cultural-historical institution and is free to
visit. The museum is housed in a historic Ottoman military command building of
1889 vintage. Besides the many artifacts and invaluable pieces of historical
importance in the Museum is the 6,000-year-old Neolithic terracotta figurine
known as the Goddess on the Throne.
Beyond the museum and the
ethnologic building, I came to the Jasher Pasha Mosque, a historic 19th-century
Ottoman-era Mosque located in the old town of Pristina. The mosque was built in
1834 by Jashar Mehmet Pasha, a wealthy citizen of Pristina and later
governor/mayor of Skopje, on the site of an earlier 15th-century structure. It
is said that Jashar Pasha built the mosque as a charitable endowment and
expression of love for his wife. The mosque underwent major conservation and
was reopened in 2016 following a restoration supported by the Turkish
government. The photos of various facets of the mosque before and after restoration
tell the story of painstaking work. The mosque had a classic square plan topped
by a hemispherical central dome resting on four sails. It has a slender, single
minaret.
The Clock Tower of Pristina,
located in the historic Old Bazaar, is a 19th-century Ottoman-era architectural
landmark. It stands 85 feet tall with a distinctive hexagonal floor plan,
constructed from local sandstone and bricks with a wood and lead roof. This too
was commissioned in the 19th century by Jashar Pasha and stands near the mosque
bearing his name. The clock tower was used during Ottoman rule to signal daily
prayer times. The clock tower currently has an electric clock mechanism, with
four clock faces, and a 130-kilogram bell, installed during its renovation in
2003.
Almost right in front of the
Clock Tower is the Sultan Mehmet Mosque, aka Imperial Mosque. It is a 15th
century Ottoman Mosque, much more elaborate than the earlier two mosques. The
mosque was built in 1461 by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, the Ottoman ruler who
captured Constantinople in 1453. The mosque features a grand central dome
spanning a 14-meter diameter, carved yellow sandstone, twelve hooped columns,
and vibrant painted plant and geometric motifs applied via the traditional al
Seko technique. The original minaret collapsed during an earthquake in 1955 and
was later rebuilt. The courtyard of the mosque has a traditional ablution
fountain, added in 1996. It is an active Sunni place of worship and a serene
cultural landmark.
Standing opposite the Imperial
Mosque is the erstwhile Great Hammam of Pristina. It is one of the most
significant monuments of Ottoman cultural era in Prishtina. It was built as
part of the complex of the Imperial Mosque. It was a "double" hammam,
meaning that it was used simultaneously by both men and women in separate
areas. Beyond its function for hygiene, the hammam served as a meeting space
and a venue for ceremonies for the citizens, including traditional preparations
for brides. Its function as a public bathhouse ceased around 1960. It was used
for some time after that as a warehouse or shop, and eventually fell into a
state of disrepair.
From the erstwhile hammam I
walked past numerous shops and vendors trying to make their final sales for the
day of fruits and vegetables. I bought a kilo of brown grapes and found refuge
in the comfy confines of the room. I made arrangements with the owner of the
accommodation to give me a drop to the Bus Station at 7.30 am the next day.
