From the Illyrian-Dardanian World, the Roman and Byzantine Periods and the Middle Ages, to the Ottoman Empire, Yugoslavia and Present-Day Serbia

By: Nehat Hyseni

PRESHEVO CASTLE – A SILENT WITNESS TO HISTORY

Preshevo Castle stands on the western edge of the city, on an elevated hill overlooking the surrounding area. At first sight, it may appear to be little more than a group of ruins. Yet, when examined through the lens of archaeology, history and cultural heritage, it becomes an exceptional historical document.

The castle should not be viewed as an isolated monument. It was part of a much broader system of settlements, roads, fortifications, economic activity and political organization that developed in the Preshevo Valley over many centuries.

Its importance therefore lies not merely in the question of when the fortress was constructed, but also in what it tells us about the historical development of the valley, the communities that inhabited it, and the successive civilizations and political systems that left their traces here.

The central question is not simply: When was Preshevo Castle built?

The deeper question is: What does the castle reveal about the historical continuity of human settlement in the Preshevo Valley?

PRESHEVO IN THE ILLYRIAN-DARDANIAN WORLD

The Preshevo Valley occupies an exceptionally important geographical position in the Balkans. It represents a natural corridor connecting the Morava and Vardar valleys and, more broadly, Central Europe with the southern Balkans.

Because of this strategic position, the region has been important since antiquity.

The territory of the valley is historically associated with the wider Dardanian world, which formed one of the important political and cultural environments of the ancient central Balkans. The surrounding mountains, particularly the Karadak range, contain numerous locations where traces of ancient settlement, movement and fortification have been identified or reported.

Preshevo Castle should therefore be understood within this wider geographical and historical system.

Local archaeological and historical literature has associated the fortification with periods of early antiquity, while also recognizing that its structures may have been rebuilt, modified and adapted during different historical periods. The presence of stone walls, architectural elements, pottery, pithoi, coins and other archaeological materials indicates prolonged human activity in the surrounding area.

The strategic position of the castle was equally significant. From an elevated position, it could oversee roads, valleys, crossings and settlements.

In other words, the castle was not simply a defensive structure. It was part of a landscape in which military, economic and social life were closely interconnected.

THE CASTLE AND THE OLD TOWN – A FORGOTTEN HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE

At the foot of the castle lies the area traditionally associated with an older settlement.

Reports of archaeological materials from the wider area—including coins, metal objects, architectural fragments, bricks, pottery and pithoi—suggest that the site was connected with organized human settlement rather than serving merely as an isolated military outpost.

This is particularly important for understanding the historical development of Preshevo.

The castle, the settlement beneath it, the surrounding agricultural land and the routes of communication should be studied as parts of one historical landscape.

Such a perspective allows us to move beyond the traditional approach of viewing fortresses merely as military monuments. A fortress is also evidence of the society that constructed, maintained and used it.

Where there was a functioning fortress, there were usually people, economic resources, roads, food supplies, agricultural production, craftsmanship and political organization.

The history of Preshevo Castle must therefore be connected with the history of the settlement and the wider valley.

ROME: A NEW ERA ON AN OLD TERRITORY

The expansion of Rome introduced the territory into a new political, military and economic system.

But Rome did not encounter an empty landscape.

The arrival of Roman power represented a profound political and administrative transformation, yet political transformation should not automatically be equated with the disappearance of earlier populations.

Roman administrative structures, roads, settlements and military organization became superimposed upon an older human landscape.

The wider Preshevo region contains archaeological traces associated with the Roman and Late Antique periods. Zhunica, in particular, has been identified in local historical and archaeological discussions as a settlement with urban characteristics during the Roman and Late Antique periods.

This reminds us that history is often a palimpsest: one civilization writes over another, but earlier layers do not necessarily disappear completely.

They may survive in archaeological remains, settlement patterns, roads, place names, material culture and the memory of the landscape.

FROM ROME TO BYZANTIUM

Following the division of the Roman Empire in AD 395, the region became part of the Eastern Roman sphere, later commonly referred to as the Byzantine world.

Political authority changed, administrative structures evolved, and new religious and cultural influences appeared.

Yet political change does not necessarily mean demographic discontinuity.

The historical study of this period requires the comparison of archaeological evidence with written sources, coins, ceramics, architectural remains, settlement patterns, place names and historical linguistics.

Toponymy—the study of place names—is particularly important because geographical names may survive political transformations and administrative changes for centuries.

Historical linguistics can likewise contribute to the study of possible connections between ancient Illyrian-Dardanian populations and later populations of the region, including the historical development of the Albanian language.

Such questions, however, must be approached scientifically and cautiously.

They cannot be settled through political slogans or nationalist mythology. They require multidisciplinary research, comparative evidence and continued archaeological investigation.

The objective should not be to manufacture history, but to discover it.

THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE APPEARANCE OF PRESHEVO IN WRITTEN SOURCES

Written sources concerning the Preshevo region become more visible during the medieval period, although the documentation remains relatively limited.

Preshevo appears in medieval sources, particularly in the fourteenth century. In 1381, it is mentioned as the center of a župa, a medieval territorial-administrative unit.

This is significant because it demonstrates that Preshevo was not merely an unnamed rural space. It formed part of a recognized political and territorial organization.

The medieval Balkans experienced profound transformations involving states, dynasties, religious institutions, migrations and changes in political authority.

Nevertheless, geographical position continued to matter.

The Preshevo Valley remained a strategic corridor through which people, armies, merchants and ideas moved between the central and southern parts of the Balkans.

The castle and its surrounding settlements must therefore be interpreted against this wider medieval background.

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE – PRESHEVO AS A LOCAL AND REGIONAL CENTER

The Preshevo region entered the Ottoman administrative system during the second half of the fifteenth century. Ottoman sources place the incorporation of the area within the period around 1454–1455.

The establishment of Ottoman authority did not eliminate the existing geographical importance of Preshevo.

Roads continued to connect the valley with neighboring regions, while settlements remained part of wider economic and administrative networks.

During the Ottoman period, Preshevo developed within new administrative structures and acquired significance as a local and regional center.

This period also left an important cultural and architectural legacy.

Ottoman inscriptions, religious buildings, cemeteries, roads, bridges and other elements of material heritage deserve systematic documentation and study.

The Ottoman period should therefore be understood not as an isolated historical chapter but as another layer in the long historical development of Preshevo.

FROM 1912 ONWARDS – A NEW POLITICAL ORDER

The year 1912 marked the end of Ottoman political rule in the region and the beginning of a new period under Serbian administration.

For Preshevo and the wider Preshevo Valley, this represented far more than a change of flags.

It brought changes in administration, political organization, economic relations, educational structures and cultural policy.

The subsequent Yugoslav period introduced additional political and administrative transformations.

At the same time, the interpretation of the region’s history became increasingly connected with competing national narratives.

This is precisely why historical monuments such as Preshevo Castle require a scientific rather than ideological approach.

A monument should not be forced to serve a political narrative.

It should be allowed to speak through archaeological evidence, historical documentation and rigorous scholarship.

THE CASTLE AS EVIDENCE OF ANTIQUITY – BUT ALSO A CHALLENGE TO SCIENCE

Preshevo Castle is unquestionably an important element of the region’s material heritage.

However, scientific responsibility requires us to distinguish between what can be demonstrated and what remains a hypothesis.

It would be methodologically incorrect to declare that every stone of the castle is necessarily Illyrian or Dardanian.

Likewise, it would be equally incorrect to deny any possible historical connection between the ancient populations of the region and later Albanian populations merely because written evidence is incomplete.

History lies between these two extremes.

The historical continuity of a population cannot be established by a single monument alone.

It must be reconstructed from a mosaic of evidence:

● archaeological sites;

● fortifications;

● settlements;

● roads and communication routes;

● material culture;

● coins and inscriptions;

● place names;

● medieval documents;

● Ottoman records;

● historical linguistics;

● anthropology;

● archives and comparative historical research.

Only through such multidisciplinary investigation can the question of continuity be approached responsibly.

The purpose of scholarship is not to confirm what we already wish to believe, but to determine what the evidence allows us to conclude.

PRESHEVO CASTLE AND ALBANIAN IDENTITY

For the Albanians of Preshevo and the Preshevo Valley, the castle represents more than an archaeological ruin.

It forms part of the historical memory of a community whose presence in these lands predates the modern political borders and administrative structures established by Serbia and Yugoslavia.

This does not mean that archaeology should be transformed into an instrument of political conflict.

On the contrary, the cultural heritage of Preshevo should be protected precisely because it represents an irreplaceable part of the historical memory of the region.

A mature society does not fear historical evidence.

It preserves it, studies it and makes it accessible.

For the Albanian community, scientific research into Preshevo Castle and the surrounding archaeological landscape can contribute to a deeper understanding of the historical development of the region and of the long-term processes through which population, language, culture and identity evolved.

YUGOSLAVIA AND THE SILENCE SURROUNDING HERITAGE

One of the major problems concerning the heritage of Preshevo has been the absence of sustained local documentation, systematic archaeological research and adequate public promotion.

Many archaeological and historical sites in the region have remained outside broader academic and public attention.

The wider history of the Western Balkans has often been studied through major political centers, while smaller regions and local communities have received comparatively less attention.

This creates a serious problem.

When heritage is not documented, protected and interpreted scientifically, it becomes vulnerable to neglect, physical deterioration and competing interpretations.

An undocumented monument can gradually disappear—not only physically, but also from collective memory.

That is why Preshevo Castle requires systematic research and professional protection.

PRESENT-DAY SERBIA AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT HERITAGE

Today, Preshevo Castle is located within the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

This is a political and legal reality.

But cultural heritage is more complex than administrative ownership.

A monument can belong administratively to a state while simultaneously forming part of the historical memory of a local community and contributing to the shared cultural heritage of Europe.

For this reason, the castle deserves:

1. comprehensive archaeological documentation;

2. topographical and photographic mapping;

3. controlled archaeological excavations;

4. scientific dating of its different layers;

5. systematic inventory of archaeological materials;

6. conservation and structural protection;

7. inclusion in an accessible heritage database;

8. publication of research in Albanian, Serbian and English;

9. cooperation with international archaeological institutions;

10. inclusion in regional cultural and historical tourism programmes.

Such measures would not diminish the importance of the monument.

They would strengthen it.

A BRIDGE BETWEEN ALBANIANS AND EUROPE

Preshevo Castle can become a bridge between the local community and Europe.

European history is not composed only of famous capitals, monumental cathedrals and internationally known archaeological sites.

Europe is also the sum of thousands of local histories.

Protecting the history of smaller communities is therefore part of protecting Europe’s own historical diversity.

The Albanians of the Preshevo Valley should be able to say openly and confidently:

This is part of our history, and therefore it deserves to be studied.

That statement is not a declaration of hostility toward anyone.

It is a demand for knowledge.

It is a demand for preservation.

And it is a demand that the history of the Preshevo Valley be included within the broader scholarly narrative of Europe.

FROM RUIN TO CULTURAL ASSET

Preshevo Castle has the potential to become much more than a preserved ruin.

With serious archaeological research, professional conservation and appropriate urban and cultural planning, it could become the central element of an archaeological and cultural park connecting:

● the castle;

● the old settlement;

● ancient archaeological sites;

● Ottoman heritage;

● the historical center of Preshevo;

● and the modern city.

Such a project could contribute to cultural tourism, education and local economic development.

A restored and scientifically interpreted castle could generate employment, attract visitors, provide a field laboratory for students and researchers, create museum collections and strengthen the cultural identity of the community.

Most importantly, it could transform a neglected historical site into a living educational resource.

The castle could become a place where history is not merely remembered, but studied.

THE CASTLE AS A “STONE BOOK”

Preshevo Castle can be understood as a stone book.

Its pages are represented by the different historical layers accumulated over the centuries.

Some belong to antiquity.

Others may relate to the Dardanian world, the Roman period, Late Antiquity, Byzantium, the Middle Ages and the Ottoman era.

Later pages belong to the transformations following 1912, the Yugoslav period and the contemporary history of Serbia and Preshevo.

Some pages are underground.

Some are damaged.

Some are forgotten.

Some may be preserved in museums or archives.

Others are still waiting for archaeologists to uncover and interpret them.

The task of modern scholarship is to read these pages carefully.

Not to rewrite them.

Not to erase them.

And not to use them as weapons against another community.

CONCLUSION – THE STONES REMAIN

Preshevo Castle is far more than a collection of ruins.

It is a historical reference point for understanding the long development of the Preshevo Valley.

Its archaeological context connects the region with the ancient and medieval worlds of the Balkans and with the successive Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman political and cultural spheres.

For the Albanians of Preshevo, the castle should serve as an incentive for deeper and more systematic research into the history of their presence in the region.

That research should involve archaeology, history, linguistics, toponymy, anthropology, archival studies and modern laboratory methods.

It should also involve international academic cooperation.

Most importantly, it must be guided by scientific honesty.

Future research may reveal additional evidence about the different historical layers of the castle and the surrounding settlements. It may strengthen some existing interpretations, challenge others, or demonstrate periods of interruption, migration, transformation and cultural change.

All of these possibilities are part of history.

What matters is that they are investigated.

Stones do not vote.

They do not make propaganda.

They have no political party.

They do not change administrations.

They simply remain where history left them, waiting for someone to read them.

Empires passed.

Armies passed.

Governments changed.

Political borders changed.

Administrative systems disappeared and new ones emerged.

But the land remained.

The traces remained.

The place names remained.

The settlements remained.

And the castle remained.

That is why Preshevo Castle calls not for political mythology, but for memory, science, preservation and European recognition.

It calls upon Serbia to protect it.

It calls upon the Albanians of Preshevo to study it.

It calls upon Kosovo and Albania to recognize its importance.

And it calls upon Europe to see the Preshevo Valley not merely as a peripheral geographical space, but as a historical, archaeological and human landscape of genuine European significance.

The castle asks only to be heard.

And it is our responsibility to make that voice heard—in Preshevo, Kosovo, Albania and Europe.

Prishtina, 7 September 2026