Albania capital Tirana Picture - Capital City of Albania

Tirana is the capital and the largest city (2000 est. pop. 700,000) of Albania. It is the administrative, cultural, economic, and industrial center of the Republic of Albania.

The founding and later development of the city of Tirana were made possible by its geographic position on a fertile plain, rich in forest lands and water, and crossroads of the Adriatic and eastern Albania, and through the Qafa e K‘rab‘s valley and the Shkumbin river with the inner parts of the Balkan peninsula.
The area around Tirana has been inhabited since the neolithic age .

Albanian Language information - About Albanian

Albanian Language information - About Albanian

Albanian (Gjuha shqipe pronounced) is a unique Indo-European language spoken by nearly 6 million people,[1] primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, Montenegro, and southern Serbia. Albanian is also spoken by native communities in Greece, along the eastern coast of southern Italy, and on the island of Sicily.

Additionally, speakers of Albanian can be found elsewhere throughout the latter two countries resulting from a modern diaspora, originating from the Balkans, that also includes Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. An estimated 3 million Albanians are believed to be the total of the diaspora concentrated mostly in Western Europe and North America.

Capital Tirana Economy and enviroment information

Tirana Economy and enviroment information

Economy

Tirana is Albania's major industrial centre. It has experienced rapid growth and established many new industries since the 1920s. The principal industries include agricultural products and machinery, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and metal products.

Tirana began to develop in the beginning of the 16th century, when a bazaar was established, and its craftsmen manufactured silk and cotton fabrics, leather, ceramics and iron, silver, and gold artifacts. Sited in a fertile plain, the Tirana area exported 2,600 barrels of olive oil and 14,000 packages of tobacco to Venice by 1769. In 1901, it had 140,000 olive trees, 400 oil mills, and 700 shops. The Tid tower at 85 meters is being constructed in the city. It will redefine architecture in Albania.


Environment

The city suffers from problems related to overpopulation, such as waste management, lack of running water and electricity as well as extremely high levels of air pollution from the 300,000 cars moving around the city. The problem is exacerbated by aging infrastructure. Despite the problems, Tirana has also experienced a very rapid growth in the construction of new buildings.[13] In recent years pollution has worsened as the number of cars has increased by several orders of magnitude. These are mostly older, diesel cars that pollute much more than the newer models in circulation elsewhere in Europe.

Additionally, most of the fuel used in Albania contains larger amounts of sulfur and lead than that allowed in European Union countries. In recent years pollution from construction has become a major concern for the inhabitants of the city. Another peril to the city comes from untreated solid waste.Saint Prokopi park, a vast forested park in the outskirts of the city, has some effect on absorbing CO2 emissions. Tirana is cleaned by governmental workers everyday, and trees have been planted around many sidewalks. Mayor Edi Rama promised that he'll plant 100,000 more trees in Tirana and make a machine that sucks all the dust and carbon out. He said by 2012-2014 Tirana will have the cleanest air in the Balkans. This will increase Albania's life expectancy.Until now this green project is going well and until now over 2000 trees are planted

Culture of capital Tirana - About Tirana Tourism

Culture of capital Tirana - About Tirana Tourism

For a detailed list, see Landmarks section below.
The main cultural and artistic institutions of Tirana are the National Theater, the Theater of Opera and Ballet, the National Gallery of the Arts (Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve), and the Ensemble of Folk Music and Dances. Another cultural event includes performances of renown world composers performed by the Symphonic Orchestra of the Albanian Radio and Television. The city has been a venue for the Tirana Biennale and Tirana Jazz Festival.

Tirana is home to historical and cultural sites:

Castle/Fortress of Tirana (Kalaja e Tiranës), the historical core of the capital
Church Kroi of Shëngjin (Kisha e Kroit të Shëngjinit)
Prezë Castle/Fortress (Kalaja e Prezës)
Petrela Castle/Fortress (Kalaja e Petrelës)
Tirana's Mosque of Et'hem Bej (Xhamia e Tiranës)
The Center of Tirana, as a monumental ansemble,
Tabaks' Bridge (Ura e Tabakëve),
Kapllan Pasha's Grave (Varri i Kapllan Pashës)
The Clock Tower (Kulla e Sahatit)
Tirana has 8 public libraries, one being the National Library of Albania (Biblioteka Kombëtare), 5 museum-houses and 56 cultural monuments

Albania capital Tirana History - About Tirana

Albania capital Tirana History - About Tirana

Early period to 1418
The area now occupied by the city of Tirana has been populated since Paleolithic times[3] dating back 30,000 to 10,000 years ago as some tools were found near Mount Dajt's quarry terrain, as well as inside the Cave of the Pellumba. It can be said that Tirana's precincts are one of the earliest regions in Albania to be inhabited. Various remains discovered in fortresses, churches, villages and during urban constructions in and around Tirana, give evidence to a continuous activity throughout the chronological stages of human development. The oldest discovery in the area of Tirana has been a mosaic with several other remains of buildings of the later antiquity, found at the Kroi i Shengjinit (Fountain of Shengjin), near a Medieval temple. A castle, possibly called Tirkan, was built by Emperor Justinian in 520 AD and restored by Ahmed Pasha Toptani in the 18th century. The area had no especial importance in Illyrian and Classical times. There were medieval settlements in the area at Prezë, Ndroq, Lalmë and Petrelë Castle. In 1418, Marin Barleti, an Albanian Catholic priest and scholar, the first to write a history of Albania, referred in a Venetian document of "Plenum Tyrenae", a small village. There are references to "Tirana e Madhe" and "Tirana e Vogël" (Greater and Lesser Tirana).


Under Ottoman rule
The records of the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431-32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, with nearly 2,028 houses and 7,300 inhabitants. The 1583 registration records that Tirana had 110 inhabited areas, with 2,900 houses and 20,000 inhabitants.


Tirana's Bazaar seen in a postcard of 1902.Süleiman Pasha Mulleti (or Sulejman Pashë Bargjini), a local ruler, established the Ottoman town in 1614 with a mosque, a commercial centre and a hammam (Turkish sauna). The town was located along caravan routes and grew rapidly in importance until the early 19th century. During this period, the mosque in the centre of Tirana, the Et'hem Bey Mosque designed by Molla Bey of Petrela, began to be constructed. It employed the best artisans in the country and was completed in 1821 by Molla's son, who was also Sulejman Pasha's grandnephew. In 1800, the first new comers arrived in the settlement, the so-called ortodoksit. They were Vlachs from villages of Korçë and Pogradec who settled around the area of today's Artificial Lake of Tirana.[4] Later, they started to be known as the llacifac and were the first christians to arrive after the foundation of the town.

In 1807, Tirana became the center of the Sub-Prefecture of Krujë-Tirana. After 1816, Tirana languished under the control of the Toptani family of Krujë. In 1865, Tirana became a Sub-Prefecture of the newly created Vilayet of Shkodër and Sanjak of Durrës. The Albanian language started to be taught in Tirana's schools in 1889. The patriotic club "Bashkimi" was founded in 1908 while on 26 November 1912, the national flag was raised in agreement with Ismail Qemali. During the Balkan Wars, the town was temporarily occupied by the Serbian army, and in 1914-15, it took part in uprising of the villages lead by Haxhi Qamili.

What is the capital of Albania

What is the capital of Albania,About Capital City Of Albania

Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana also Tirona in the local dialect) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. It was founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha and became Albania's capital city in 1920. The Municipality of Tirana lies on the river Ishëm, about 20 miles (32 km) inland and is located at (41.33°N, 19.82°E) in Tirana District, Tirana County. Tirana's average altitude is 110 meters (361 ft) above sea level and its highest point measures 1,828 m. In addition, there are two main rivers that run through the city: the Lanë and the Tiranë. The city also contains a total of four artificial lakes: Tirana Lake, Kodër-Kamëz Lake, Farka Lake, and Tufina Lake. The city is on the same parallel as Naples, Madrid and Istanbul and on the same meridian as Budapest and Krakow.

What is the capital city of Albania -Albania Information

What is the capital city of Albania - Albania capital city

Albania'capital city is Tirana.

Albania (Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria, Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia or Shqypnia), officially the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë, pronounced [ɾɛpuˈblika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs]), is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.

Albania is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation of the Islamic Conference and one of the founding members of the Union for the Mediterranean. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009.

Albania is a parliamentary democracy and a transition economy. The Albanian capital, Tirana, is home to approximately 895,000 of the country's 3.6 million people, and it is also the financial capital of the country.[5] Free-market reforms have opened the country to foreign investment, especially in the development of energy and transportation infrastructure.

Where is the Afghanistan - Afghanistan Life - Afghanistan People - How do you go Afghanistan - Afghanistan Travel

Where is the Afghanistan - Afghanistan Life - Afghanistan People - How do you go Afghanistan - Afghanistan Travel

Afghanistan (pronounced /æfˈɡænɨstæn/),officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East. It is bordered by Iran in the south and west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.

Afghanistan is a crossroads between the East and the West, and was an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and migration. It has an important geostrategic location, connecting South and Central Asia and Middle East. Because of this, the land has been a target of various invaders and conquerors, as well as a source from which local powers invaded surrounding regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, which is considered the beginning of modern Afghanistan.Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire. On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs.

Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war in addition to foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) composed of NATO troops.

Where is the Afghanistan - Afghanistan Life - Afghanistan People - How do you go Afghanistan - Afghanistan Travel, How do you go Afghanistan - Afghanistan Travel, Where is the Afghanistan - Afghanistan Life - Afghanistan People - How do you go Afghanistan - Afghanistan Travel, Afghanistan Travel

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - About Kabul - Kabul Tourism - Kabul Museums - Kabul Historical Places

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - About Kabul - Kabul Tourism - Kabul Museums - Kabul Historical Places

The old part of Kabul is filled with bazaars nestled along its narrow, crooked streets. Cultural sites include the Afghan National Museum, notably displaying an impressive statue of Surya excavated at Khair Khana, the ruined Darul Aman Palace, the Mausoleum of Emperor Babur and Chehlstoon Park, the Minar-i-Istiqlal (Column of Independence) built in 1919 after the Third Afghan War, the mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani, and the imposing Id Gah Mosque (founded 1893). Bala Hissar is a fort destroyed by the British in 1879, in retaliation for the death of their envoy, now restored as a military college. The Minaret of Chakari, destroyed in 1998, had Buddhist swastika and both Mahayana and Theravada qualities.


Inside Kabul City CenterOther places of interest include Kabul City Center, which is Kabul's first shopping mall, the shops around Flower Street and Chicken Street, Wazir Akbar Khan district, Babur Gardens, Kabul Golf Club, Kabul Zoo, Shah Do Shamshera and other famous Mosques, the Afghan National Gallery, Afghan National Archive, Afghan Royal Family Mausoleum, the OMAR Mine Museum, Bibi Mahroo Hill, Kabul Cemetery, and Paghman Gardens.

Tappe-i-Maranjan is a nearby hill where Buddhist statues and Graeco-Bactrian coins from the 2nd century BC have been found. Outside the city proper is a citadel and the royal palace. Paghman and Jalalabad are interesting valleys north and east of the city.


What is the capital city of Afghanistan, What is the capital of Afghanistan,About Kabul,Kabul Tourism,Kabul Museums,Kabul Historical Places

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - About Kabul - Kabul History

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - About Kabul - Kabul History

Modern history

Nadir Shah of Persia invaded and captured the city in 1738 but was assassinated nine years later. Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander and personal bodyguard of Nader, took the throne in 1747, asserted Pashtun rule and further expanded his new Afghan Empire. His son Timur Shah Durrani, after inheriting power, transferred the capital of Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776.[31] Timur Shah died in 1793 and was succeeded by his son Zaman Shah Durrani.

In 1826, the kingdom was claimed by Dost Mohammed Khan and taken from him by the British Indian Army in 1839, who installed the unpopular puppet Shah Shuja. An 1841 local uprising resulted in the loss of the British mission and the subsequent Massacre of Elphinstone's army of approximately 16,000 people, which included civilians and camp followers on their retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad. In 1842 the British returned, plundering Bala Hissar in revenge before retreating back to India. Dost Mohammed returned to the throne.


Aerial view of Kabul in 1969.The British invaded in 1878 as Kabul was under Sher Ali Khan's rule, but the British residents were again massacred. The invaders again came in 1879 under General Roberts, partially destroying Bala Hissar before retreating to India. Amir Abdur Rahman was left in control of the country.

In the early 20th century, King Amanullah Khan rose to power. His reforms included electricity for the city and schooling for girls. He drove a Rolls-Royce, and lived in the famous Darul Aman Palace. In 1919, after the Third Anglo-Afghan War, Amanullah announced Afghanistan's independence from foreign interventions at Eidgah Mosque. In 1929, Ammanullah Khan left Kabul because of a local uprising and his brother Nader Khan took control. King Nader Khan was assassinated in 1933 and his 19-year-old son, Zahir Shah, became the long lasting King of Afghanistan.

Kabul University opened for classes in early 1930s, and in 1940s, the city began to grow as an industrial center. The streets of the city began being paved in the 1950s.

In the 1960s, Kabul developed a cosmopolitan mood. The first Marks and Spencer store in Central Asia was built there. Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967, which was maintained with the help of visiting German Zoologists.

In 1969, a religious uprising at the Pul-e Khishti Mosque protested the Soviet Union's increasing influence over Afghan politics and religion. This protest ended in the arrest of many of its organizers including Mawlana Faizani, a popular Islamic scholar.

In July 1973, Zahir Shah was ousted in a bloodless coup and Kabul became the capital of a republic under Mohammad Daoud Khan, the new President. In 1975 an east-west electric trolleybus system provided public transportation across the city. The system was built with assistance from Czechoslovakia.

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, on December 24, 1979, the Red Army occupied the capital. They turned the city into their command center during the 10-year conflict between the Soviet-allied government and the Mujahideen rebels. The American Embassy in Kabul closed on January 30, 1989. The city fell into the hands of local militias after the 1992 collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's pro-communist government. As these forces divided into warring factions, the city increasingly suffered. In December, the last of the 86 city trolley buses came to a halt because of the conflict. A system of 800 public buses continued to provide transportation services to the city.


Kabul in 2004.By 1993 electricity and water in the city was completely out. At this time, Burhannudin Rabbani's militia (Jamiat-e Islami) held power but the nominal prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami began shelling the city, which lasted until 1996. Kabul was factionalised, and fighting continued between Jamiat-e Islami, Abdul Rashid Dostum and the Hezbi Wahdat. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and many more fled as refugees. The United Nations estimated that about 90% of the buildings in Kabul were destroyed during these years.

Kabul was captured by the Taliban on September 26, 1996,[32] publicly lynching ex-President Najibullah and his brother. During this time, all the fighting between rival groups came to an end. Burhannudin Rabbani, Gulbuddin Heckmatyar, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Ahmad Shah Massoud, and the rest all fled the city.

Approximately five years later, in October 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan. The Taliban abandoned Kabul in the following months because of extensive American bombing, while the Afghan Northern Alliance (former mujahideen or millias) came to retake control of the city. On December 20, 2001, Kabul became the capital of the Afghan Transitional Administration, which transformed to the present government of Afghanistan that is led by US-backed President Hamid Karzai.

Since the beginning of 2003, the city is slowly developing with the help of foreign investment. Security was provided by US (Operation Enduring Freedom) and NATO (ISAF) forces until late 2008. Currently, the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Afghan National Army (ANA) provide security for most of the city.

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - About Kabul - Kabul History

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - Where is Kabul

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - Where is Kabul

Kabul

(Pashto/Persian: کابل Kābul; /kɑː'bol/; archaic Caubul), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of over 2.5 million, and is located in the province of Greater Kabul. The exact number cannot be determined but the total provincial population of Kabul is anywhere between 3.5 to almost 5 million people.

It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. The city is linked with Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif via a circular highway that stretches across the country. It is also the start of the main road to Jalalabad and, further on, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Kabul's main products include munitions, cloth, furniture and beet sugar, but, since 1978, a state of nearly continuous war has limited the economic productivity of the city. Economic productivity has improved since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 2001.

Kabul is over 3,000 years old, many empires have long fought over the city for its strategic location along the trade routes of Southern and Central Asia. In 1504, Babur captured Kabul and used it as his headquarters until 1526, before his conquest of India. In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of modern Afghanistan. Since the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s until very recent, the city has been constantly a target of destruction by rebels or militants. It is currently in its early phases of reconstruction.

What is the capital city of Afghanistan - What is the capital of Afghanistan - Where is Kabul