Gjilan
| Gjilan | |
|---|---|
| Municipality and town | |
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Albanian: Gjilan / Gjilani Serbian: Gnjilane / Гњилане |
|
 Gjilan
|
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| Coordinates: 42°27′53″N 21°28′1″E / 42.46472°N 21.46694°E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | District of Gjilan |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lutfi Haziri (LDK) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality and town | 392 km2 (151 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 13.302 km2 (5.136 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 508 m (1,667 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Municipality and town | 87,835 |
| • Density | 220/km2 (580/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 52,000 |
| • Metro density | 3,900/km2 (10,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 60000 |
| Area code(s) | +383 280 |
| Website | Municipality of Gjilan |
Gjilan (Albanian) or Gnjilane (Serbian: Гњилане) is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the District of Gjilan. It is famous for having recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with −32.5 °C (−26.5 °F) on 25 January 1963.
Gjilan is located in the southern Binačka Morava river basin (Binačko Pomoravlje).
Ottoman chronicler Evliya Çelebi mentions Morava as a settlement of the Sanjak of Vučitrn. Çelebi writes that: "The seventeen day journey from Constantinople (Istanbul) to pass through Vranje, Novo Brdo, Krivareka (Egridere) and Morava (Gjilan). The etymology of Gjilan is disputed. Albanian sources claim that the town (initially a village) obtained its name from Bahti Beg Gjinolli of Gjinaj clan that ruled the region of Vučitrn (Llapi and Drenica), and populated this area in the 18th century (around 1750). However, there is no definite evidence to support that claim, and in fact no one can confirm as to who the first true inhabitants were, or when they first settled there. On the other hand, Serbian sources claim that the origin of the town name is in the Serbian word gnjio (putrid, rotten).
In 1342, a place called Morava was visited by Serbian King Stefan Dušan (later Emperor, r. 1331-1355).A fort was built nearby in the 14th century. Gornja Morava was known as simply Morava under Ottoman rule, and it extended west of the Upper Žegra-Budriga-Cernica line, thus Gjilan stayed in the oblast (province) of Topolnica, which provincial seat was Novo Brdo. In the 1455 defter (Ottoman tax registry), Gjilan was inhabited by Serbs, and the priest Božidar served the town. There were 41 households. Haji Kalfa (first half of the 17th century) mentions Morava being 17 days from Constantinople. Gornja Morava and Izmornik were organized into the Sanjak of Vučitrn up until the 18th century. Gjilan became a kadiluk around 1780, and 20–25 years later a large village.
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