Tahir Dizdari
| Tahir Dizdari | |
|---|---|
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| Native name | Tahir Nasuf Dizdari |
| Born | 15 November 1900 Shkodër, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 9 May 1972 Tirana, Albania |
| Awards | First Class "Naim Frashëri" Order, 1995 |
| Academic work | |
| Notable works | Fjalor i orientalizmave në gjuhën shqipe (Dictionary of orientalisms within the Albanian language), 2005 |
Tahir Dizdari (1900–1972) was an Albanian orientalist, folklorist, and scholar. He was the main orientalist in Albania, and contributed in identifying and studying oriental words borrowed from the Albanian language.
Dizdari the son of Nasuf Dizdari (1858-1940), a local folklorist and translator, and was born on 15 November 1900, in Shkodër, today's Albania, back then still part of the Ottoman Empire. Dizdari family traces their origin from a military who had settled in Shkodër from İznik of the Province of Bursa, today's Turkey. Dizdari finished his early education in the Turkish language school of his town, following later the Ruzdiye (mmiddle school) which he couldn't finish due to the outbreak of the First Balkan War. He registered later in the Saverian College of Shkodër, finishing it in 1918. He focused on the Oriental languages and on mastering the French language. At a young age, he started working in the Albanian public administration, holding various positions in Vlorë, Durrës, and Pukë. One of his contributions during this time was the draft-statute Ligja e katundarive dhe e komunave (Law of villages and municipalities), being a main contributor of a work that targeted the formation, structuration, and operation of the local government, first of its kind within the newly created Albanian state of that time. In 1935, he published the manual Udhëhjekës për konferenca (Guide to conferences). He was also involved in huge projects, i.e. the general registration of the population in 1930.
As a monarchist and supporter of King Zog I of Albania, Dizdari participated in the armed resistance against the Italian invasion of Albania of April 1939. Due to his known pro-monarchy stance and his involvement in the skirmishes against the Italians at Gomsiqe near Pukë, he would be arrested and interned by the Italians.
With the German occupation of Albania, he resumed his research on orientalism and writing in the local Albanian press. During 1944, he wrote a separate column "Pyes vetveten" (I ask myself) in the Bashkimi i kombit (Nation's unity) newspaper, which would continue later in the Bashkimi (Unity) during 1945-1946, using the pen-name "Hijekakeqi". During 1944, still in the newspaper Bashkimi i kombit, he contributed to the linguistics section "Fjalë iranishte në gjuhën shqipe" (Iranian words in the Albanian language) using the pen-name "Bishtiqindija". He also published two toponymy studies: Kraja in the Bashkimi i kombit and Katër Balët (Four Balas) in the Bota e re (New world) magazine. He wrote also satirical articles, and religion-oriented articles in the Kultura islame (Islamic culture) and Bleta (Honeybee) magazines.
In May 1945 he was affiliated with the Bashkimi newspaper of the Democratic Front, and in October 1945 acquired membership in the Albanian League of Writers and Artists. During 1946-1951, he focused on studying the Albanian dictionary and folklore, submitting a work of around 800 pages to the Institute of Folklore.
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