Some data of Ottoman sources about the Vushtrri old castle

Abstract

Nowadays, when we talk about Vushtrri town, everyone’s mind goes to antiquity. Among its identifying monuments we can mention, the Old Castle, which can be encountered also with different names such as the Town Castle, the Castle of Vushtrri, etc.
Today’s land of Vushtrri, was a settlement since antiquity, in which lived the Illyrian-Dardanian population, the ancestor of the Albanian population today. However, in this period we also had the presence of non-Illyrian-Albanian populations, which were minority, as they are to this day.
The main role for the various constructions realized in Vushtrria, has been played by the majority population, without ignoring the influences of other populations that have been minorities. However, through the study of the Castle, we also understand the role of the Illyrian-Albanian ethnicity between the eras.
The Old Castle located in the center of Vushtrri town is an object with many centuries of history, damaged from time to time, which still managed to survive to this day.
The castle is used nowadays for various cultural activities, and at the same time it serves as an attractive object for tourists.
The materials found from archaeological research still unpublished, tell us that the object we are dealing with existed before the 14th century.
Particularly important are the documents used by the Turkish archives, which show that the Old Castle in Vushtrri may have been even larger than what is seen today, referring to a sketch of it.