Tomorr
| Tomorri Mountain National Park | |
|---|---|
 The town of Berat and Tomorri in the distance | |
 | |
| Location | Central Albania |
| Nearest city | Berat |
| Area | 4,000 ha |
Mount Tomorr is a large mountain in southern Albania. Its highest peak, called Çuka e Partizanit, reaches a height of 2,416 m (7,927 ft). It is located east of the towns of Berat and Poliçan and the river Osum not far from the Canyon of Osum river.
In antiquity the region of Tomorr (Template:Lang-el Amyron) was inhabited by the Dexari, a tribe of Epirus that belonged to the Chaonian group of the northwestern Greeks.[1][2]
Albanian folklore tells how Tomorr came to be. The people believed that Tomorr was a giant that wanted to fight another giant named Shpirag for a young woman. The two giants killed each other and when hearing this the young woman cried and drowned in her own tears thus creating the river of Osum.[3]
Tomorr is of great spiritual importance to the local people. On the summit of the mountain a Bektashi shrine to the brother of Imam Husain, Abbas ibn Ali can be found. Each August thousands of faithful make pilgrimage to this shrine.
Tomorr also offers many sports facilities such as skiing. For its importance and beauty the Albanian Government declared Tomorr a National Park. Tomorr Mountain National Park (Albanian:Parku Kombëtar i Malit të Tomorrit) covers an area of 4,000 hectares. Many endangered species are free to roam and live there.
References
- ^ Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, Guy Thompson Griffith. A History of Macedonia: Historical geography and prehistory. Clarendon Press, 1972, p. 92.
- ^ Lewis, D. M.; Boardman, John (1994). The Cambridge ancient history: The fourth century B.C. Cambridge University Press. p. 423. ISBN 978-0-521-23348-4. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture, Robert Elsie, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2001, ISBN 1-85065-570-7, p. 253.
External links
- TMNP on Berat Guide (Albanian)
