Written by Eugen Shehu. Translation Petrit Latifi

The Arbër region in Albanian Macedonia has always rocked in the lap of storms, the cradle of brave men. From them have come men who, before they had grown up, have learned to pick up a target and shoot with a rifle. Their childhood, far from toys and joys, has made them think because their homes were threatened by the flames and grass of oblivion. One of these symbols of Albanian resistance is undoubtedly Kalosh Zajazi.

He was born in Zajaz, Kicevo in 1873. By that time, the scent of independence had begun to be felt in all the Albanian territories of the four vilayets. The Russo-Turkish war had weakened the Sublime Porte, which had undoubtedly directed its plans and war headquarters towards the East. But the Albanian patriots did not wait. Taking advantage of the internal turmoil in Turkey, they had begun to devise the awakening of their country, which, although difficult and through great deprivations, was necessary for the future of Albania.

But these patriots of thought, these bearers of the pen, always had the support of the brave Albanians, these Kachaks who often disturbed the night’s sleep of the sultans. One of them, on the eve of the Albanian League of Prizren, was Dan Zajazi, Kaloshi’s father. His brave efforts were directed both against The Sublime Porte, as well as the Balkan monarchies that were waiting for the day to divide Albania.

The name of Dan Zajazi was revered not only by the high Ottoman authorities in the vilayets of Kosovo and Manastir but even as far away as Istanbul. He did not bow down to the hardships of life or to the flattery and promises of the pashas of Skopje, remaining a “stalwart” until the end. In the last years of the last century, any state authority who wanted to enter Gostivar and Kicevo first asked if Dan Zajazi was there or not.

Early on, this renowned brave man takes his 14-year-old son Kaloshi and puts him to the test in his band of scoundrels. When he is convinced of his son’s bravery and intelligence, he gives him a rifle and wishes with all his heart that only death will separate him from it. The years that followed confirmed not only his father’s prophecy but also Kaloshi’s irreplaceable love for his father.

Thus, following in his father’s footsteps, with a look from his look, with a manhood from his, Kalosh Zajazi grew up. In cold and heat, through smoke and flames, his rifle fired not only against the soldiers of the empire but also against the Albanians who every day more and more openly demonstrated their animalistic thirst for the division of Albania. In 1903, Dan Zajazi was killed by the Serbs and Turks.

The brave old man, a Kaçak in name and with a big heart, is said to have told his comrades: “We have nothing to hold on to. But the rifles will sing for us. Let us be happy that we have sons and there is no need for our name to be forgotten!” A few days later, at Dan Zajazi’s grave, his two sons Kaloshi and Lazami swore an oath.

It was already the beginning of the twentieth century and an awakening of national consciousness had begun, especially after the dynamic and diplomatic action of the Albanian League of Prizren. Years earlier, the French traveler Ami Bue, in his notes on Albania, wrote: “The Albanians could easily form an independent state of their own, between Greece and Serbia, but unfortunately, their misfortune lies in the fact that they were surrounded by neighbors who aimed at territorial expansion to the detriment of Albanian lands.” (Ami Bue, taken from “Dituria” May 1928).

Kalosh Zajazi was given the burden of leading the Kachak movement, especially in Kicevo, where the pressure from the Sublime Porte was also great. His great merit, what until the sublime end emphasized the manly character of Zajazi’s son, is the fact that in most of the fighting, the reason that led the Albanians was precisely the preservation of national pride.

As a force of armed resistance, the battles of the Kachak of Kicevo, led by Kalosh Zajazi, were always characterized by surprise, speed and a similar sincerity between the Albanians and the personalities of the Sublime Porte. As a rare person, Kalosh Zajazi, with his noble courage, first warned these authorities that they were trampling on the honor of the Albanian, then, when he noticed the arrogance of these rulers, he swooped down without hesitation like an eagle from a mountain peak.

The regular murders of these wretched rulers, the occupation of highways and their temporary blockade, the capture of tax collectors and even the attacks on small Ottoman military garrisons, in the end, had, in addition to solving the problems and concerns of the day, something distant.

Like a ray of hope, behind these brave men for the unification of all Albanian lands around the mother state. This was especially seen after the London Conference of 1913, when the Great Powers of Europe divided the body of the oldest country in the Balkans to satisfy the greed of the Greeks, Serbs and Montenegrins.

So, on the eve of 1913, we see Kalosh Zajaz cooperating with other kaçaks, opposing the occupation of the Serbs in the Albanian territories of Albanian Macedonia, together with the other two Kachaks of these territories, Sadin Selmani and Adem Bulka, the brave Zajaz organizes several battles in a row in Tetovo and Gostivar, causing great losses to the Serbian forces.

It is precisely the spring of 1913, when, by order of Belgrade, more than 20 wagons with combat materials arrive at the Tetovo train station, which proves the seriousness of the Serbian military machine against the Kachak movement in these territories. Already for the head of Kalosh Zajaz, Serbia had put a large gold price. But the inhabitants of Tetovo, Gostivar and Kicevo loved him as their own son.

The towers invited him to warm up in the snowy winter, the palaces rejoiced at his handsome appearance and the people at his generosity and bravery. Because he was followed step by step, because the life of the family His family is in constant danger, Kalosh Zajazi takes his family to Elbasan and then to Tirana. Here too he connects with the brothers of faith long pursued by the Serbs.

At the beginning of the First World War, the territories of Kosovo and those of Albanian Macedonia found themselves facing numerous dangers. The reforms used by the Serbs were such that they openly aimed at denationalization, which was the loss of identity and the collective extinction of a people, a race.

It is well known to everyone that in order to justify this exterminating violence, Nikola Pashiçi sent his “scientists”, members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, to all of Western Europe in 1914-1915 to propagate the complete swallowing of Albania under the pretext of the “barbarity” of the Albanians.

And all this propaganda was accompanied by abuses in Kosovo and Macedonia. Thus, in the press of the time, while describing the city of Skopje, it is said literally: “Everyone pays the penalty. The lands have become swamps. Many Muslims fled and left their land and property.

The government occupied these areas, but it does not give them to anyone. If you speak out against these evils, they throw you out of the village or imprison you. And all this, during the time of Turkey, did not happen.” (Letter from “Serbia e Re”, newspaper “Atdheu” on April 26, 1914).

Under these conditions, the activity of the Kachak detachments acquired a new dimension, that of the fight against the settlement of Serbian settlers in the Albanian territories of Macedonia. Kalosh Zajazi in the years 1914-1917 undertakes many concrete actions, confessing not only his rare bravery but also his intelligence. However, he now understands that cooperation between the Kachak groups is also needed with the aim of fighting against the Serbian military machine.

Serbian documentary sources make known the cooperation of Zajaz’s son with Pavel Ristov and Stevo Haxha who had long been at the head of the Kachak movement of the Old Macedonians (Bulgarians). The cooperation between these brave men had nothing to do with joint looting (as the Serbian “historians” claimed) but with powerful and quick strikes to weaken the Serbian machine of violence.

In 1921, the platoon led by Kalosh Zajazi sent a message to the two mayors of the municipalities of Poreč and Kićovo not to interfere and not to become pawns in the hands of the Serbian government. They could not turn back and quickly surrounded themselves with large, armed forces. However, within a few months, both of these wretches lost their lives from the bullets of Kalosh Zajazi’s rifle.

Embroidered with gold by a master from Elbasan, the rifle of Zajazi’s son was already singing the song of bravery, reawakening in its crackles the strong voice of Dan Zajazi who had left to his sons as a trust to keep Kićovo free from any invader. Always after such attacks and military actions, Kalosh Zajazi would maneuver and flee quickly to safe places.

Not infrequently, this son of Kicevo would pass through Prizren where his friends, those who appreciated his bravery and patriotism, eagerly awaited him. One of the many friends that Kalosh Zajazi had in Kosovo was Azem Galica, the hero of Drenica who, at the head of his company, with a rifle in his hand, was telling the Serbian hordes that Drenica and Kosovo could not endure the foreign yoke.

The two brave men were not only connected by the gurgling of the same blood, but also by the idea that their lives had been sacrificed for the freedom and independence of the Arbër lands.

Of course, in 1921, the battle of Kalosh Zajazi’s platoon in the village of Tajmisht (today Makedonski Brod!) would remain unforgettable. This village, being the center of the Serbian administration, had become a real terror for the many Albanians who lived there. Kalosh Zajazi’s platoon did not exceed two hundred brave men.

He carefully surrounded the village and, taking advantage of the terrain, greatly narrowed the ring. The fight was fierce, although the Serbian soldiers numbered hundreds. After several hours of fighting, the Serbs fled from sight, some were killed and others wounded. In the end, Kalosh Zajazi, wanting to vent his hatred, set fire to the buildings where the Serbian administration was located. Two days later, the brave Zajazi attacked the village of Volkovij, in the vicinity of Gostivar, where he also burned down several houses where Serbian soldiers lived.

His name was passed down from mouth to mouth. While still alive, he became a legend and remained there for the rest of his life.

In the summer of 1924, Kalosh Zajazi, together with his brother Lazam, we see him operating in the area of ​​Kumanovo, Manastir, Ohrid and Prespa. Here too, he cooperates with the old Macedonian Kaçaks, becoming a terror to the Serbs. What would go down in history, in these years, is the battle that took place in the village of Cërnillishte, Prilep district.

In order to help the skirmishers, some local gendarmerie forces were also deployed in this battle. But as soon as the war began, upon hearing the voices of Zajazi’s two brothers, upon seeing the reindeer that were pulling their trained horses behind them, the local gendarmes fled and within three to four hours of fighting, the village fell into the hands of the Kaçaks.

The fighting actions of the Albanian Kachaks and Bulgarian Macedonians, who in most cases were led by Kalosh and Lazam, Serbian propaganda tried to give them different colors. Thus, in one case, this activity in Prespa was described as “compromising the Serbian regime before world opinion, namely in the National League” (Gazeta “Politica” on January 28, 1926).

The year 1927 would find the two Zajazi brothers in the cold mountains, in the deep snow, now pursued on foot by Serbian Chetnik formations. But even though they were like that, they never weakened, on the contrary, the squad kept growing with men who could not bear the Serbian yoke.

“During 1927, Kalosh Zajazi had remained almost alone, without “arms”, because his closest comrades were killed in clashes with the Serbian police. However, he had not given up on his action. (Dr. R. Nexhipi, “Albanian oppression and resistance in Macedonia through the centuries” page 57).

Meanwhile, after four decades of war and struggle, after so many waters that had flowed, after so many epics written with rifles embroidered with gold, the brothers from Zajaz were betrayed in a single moment.

Sheltered in a natural cave in the village of Brod, on the outskirts of Kicevo, the brave suddenly found themselves facing countless hordes of Chetniks. Betrayal was thus speaking with its dirty language. The first Albanian who took the trouble to call out to Kalosh to surrender, received a bullet in the forehead. This was also the signal for the final battle that the brave Kalosh and Lazam Zajazi fought for hours, there on the slopes of Brod,

The legend transmitted through generations, says about them;

“For three days and three nights, the bodies of the two brothers were placed on a rock. Without a head, without an open grave, only with death and the sky, Bajraktari swore to leave the bloody bodies for 40 days and forty nights. But on the fourth day, their chests could not stand it. They screamed, beat the stones with horseshoes, tore off the reins and threw Kalosh and Lazam on their backs, who were still alive on the horses’ saddles…”.

Reference

https://www.botasot.info/historia-lajme/1616754/kalosh-dan-zajazi-i-mbetur-ne-legjende/