Kičevo

Kičevo was noted in one of the documents of the Byzantine emperor Basil II in 1018, and also mentioned by the Ohrid archbishop Theophilact in the 11th century. The city would become a part of the First Bulgarian Empire and it was one of the first cities to be added to the Archbishopric of Ohrid. It was also a part of the Second Bulgarian Empire.[4] The city first fell under Serbian rule during the reign of Stefan Uroš I and finally under Stefan Milutin in 1283. After the downfall of the Serbian Empire the city was under the rule of Vukašin of Serbia of the Mrnjavčević family after which it passed to his son Prince Marko and finally to the Ottomans.[5]

When the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, Kičevo was turned into the military and administrative center of the region.

According to Toma Smiljanić-Bradina, the local Slavs of the region still lived in a semi-independent fashion as they did under the rule of Prince Marko retaining their status as "earthly lords" of their fortresses. This semi-independent way of life persisted until the 15th century

According to local folklore the inhabitants of the region also participated in the Christian rebellions during the Great Turkish War and were forced to flee after its failure.[5]

On August 2, 1903, the Christian citizens of Kičevo participated in the Ilinden Uprising, led by Arso Vojvoda and Yordan Piperkata.

In 1913 Kičevo and the whole region were incorporated in the Kingdom of Serbia. The city was occupied by the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I. It became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. From 1929 to 1941, Kičevo was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Macedonian Partisans entering Kičevo on September 9, 1943, after the capitulation of Italy.

During World War II, Kičevo was occupied by forces from Fascist Italy and ceded to the Italian protectorate of Albania. On September 9, 1943, after the Armistice of Cassibile, Macedonian and Albanian partisan units disarmed the Italian garrison and took temporary control of the city.[6] Thus, Kičevo became the first city seized by the Macedonian Partisans during the war. However, soon after the capitulation of Italy, Nazi Germany occupied that area. The Germans put Balli Kombëtar in charge of Albania under German rule. The city was finally seized by the Communists on November 15, 1944, after German retreat.

From 1945 to 1991 the town belonged to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of its constituent Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Since 1991 the town has been part of the Republic of Macedonia.

The municipality of Kičevo has 56,734 inhabitants, and the city 27,076. The largest ethnic group in the city of Kičevo is the Macedonians who constitute for 15,031 people (55.5%), followed by the Albanians with 7,641 people (28.2%), the Turks with about 2,406 (8.9%) and Roma with 4.9%.[10]

Orthodox Christians made up 15,139 (55.9%) of the city's population according to the 2002 census, while Muslims were the second-largest religious group in the city, numbering 11,759 (43.4%).

The most common native languages are Macedonian (62.5%), Albanian (28.2%), Turkish (8.0%) and Romani 0.4%.

Shirt and bodice from Kičevo

The characteristics of the traditional clothing are massive embroiders on the shirt, collar and sleeves, white and black top garments, several types of head coverings, richly decorated skirts and several different regional varieties of pants and coats, in Kičevo specifically waist sashes are worn, fur coats, decorated collars, embroidered cuffs and fur coats.[12]

The Kičevo area maintains a unique composition of traditional Albanian clothing. Unlike the Albanian dialects of the region, the traditional clothing of the Albanians in Kičevo are unitary; rather, diversity is shown varying on gender, age, and situation.[13] Examples of this include the lower part of men's clothing which is characterised by the tirqe; the colour of the tirqe varied depending on age, with youth usually wearing white tirqe and the older men wearing dark brown tirqe. Women wear a shami (headscarf), which exists in several forms. Depending on the occasion, a shami can be red or white, but white scarves are preferred. The Brezi (belt) was not only used for decoration, but also as a symbol of the level of burrni (manhood) of its wearer as well as to store tobacco and related objects. The brezi of grown married women is usually tighter and typically white, decorated with a variety of ornaments. Young girls wore a black brez, and elderly women wore a reddish brez.

Monastery of St. Bogorodica Prečista near Kičevo.

Monastery of St. Bogorodica Prečista (Monastery of Immaculate Mother of God) is a significant monastery near Kičevo. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the feast day of this monastery is "Mala Bogorodica", (Birthday of the Virgin Mary on the 21st of September). The monastery, dedicated to the Annunciation and lodgings for devout female monks, represents a medieval monastery that was known under the name Krninski monastery in the past.

This monastery is actually an important site for the study of common cult of Christians and Muslims because it is visited by believers from both religions. The reason of this common cult is due to the miraculous powers of the water source inside the monastery.[14]

Another important monument is the monastery of St. George located in the vicinity of Kičevo.

There are also many important mosques from the Ottoman Empire's times of rule and from the Islamic population.