A Lost Albanian Alphabet found In Russia

[busy.baci]

Vithkuqi Alphabet
(source)

Vithkuqi Script
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There is a strange and old Albanian alphabet designed specifically for the Albanian language with 33 letters (strange indeed) to accommodate almost all of the Albanian phonetics (36). The alphabet never became popular and was not put into use officially, thus it was forgotten.
Vithkuqi script, also called Büthakukye or Beitha Kukju after the appellation applied to it by German Albanologist Johann Georg von Hahn, was an alphabetic script invented for writing the Albanian language between 1825 and 1845 by Albanian scholar Naum Veqilharxhi.

Though the script is sometimes erroneously claimed to be named after its inventor, as in Carl Faulmann's "Das Buch der Schrift", the script's name is derived from Vithkuq, a village in the Korçë (Albania) region where Veqilharxhi was born.

The script never took hold because of its inventor's premature death and because of the prohibitive costs of cutting new type for the invented characters; nevertheless, a number of documents using the script were published in the late 19th century. The script was eventually overwhelmed by the Greek, Arabic and Latin scripts it had been designed to supplant, the latter becoming the official one in 1909.
Vithkuqi script was specifically designed to be as religiously neutral as possible, avoiding the duplication of Greek, Latin, or Arabic characters. It had a near-perfect correspondence between letters and phonemes, but lacked characters for modern Albanian "gj", "rr", "xh", and "zh".

According to Edon Muhaxheri (an Albanian artist from Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo) the Alphabet derives from Naum Bredhi, an Albanian writer who wrote the first Albanian "ABC" book.
A Lost Albanian Alphabet

Evetari​

In Karl Faulmann’s book of scripts and alphabets I found a small scan of what he was saying that was Bredhi’s alphabet. It looked nothing like the latin alphabet Albanians use today.

Then I reached out to the Museum of Education in Albania and asked them if by any chance they had an original copy of Ëvetari (Naum’s ABC book). They responded, “Sure, do you want us to scan it for you?”

I was blown away. The first-ever Albanian ABC book featured a unique alphabet! And no one talks about it. Barely anyone knows about it. I had a precious cultural gem on my hands—and the means to make its story memorable. My writing automaton was going to write in Bredhi’s original Albanian alphabet.

Why was the alphabet not in use?Bredhi’s alphabet (Vithkuqi) was accepted with enthusiasm among Albanians, but following his sudden death (1854), its application was terminated due to lack of financial support to build unique printing houses.

Albania had been such an insulated country for so long—did the alphabet have precedent or influence from outside the country? Naum Bredhi left Albania (West Rumelia, Ottoman Empire) in 1820 to start a new life in Romania. There he became the architect of the Albanian Nationalism. There is no doubt that his script was influenced from other alphabets, but as a writing system Vithkuqi is unique and it only works with Albanian language.

More on Edon Muhaxheri's rediscovery of this script in this article: Vithkuqi, a Lost Albanian Alphabet Rescued by a Design Student.

Now, the interesting thing is that bricks with these type of letters engraved on them were found in Russia and Ukraine across the shores of the Azov Sea.

Belarusian Archeologist Discovers Old Albanian Inscriptions On Bricks In Russia
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the Belarusian scholar Aleksander Novik spoke about what he called one of the greatest discoveries of the Albanian cultural heritage in Russia – 300 bricks bearing old Albanian alphabet letters. One more time, the presence of old Albanian settlements, not only in Ukraine, but in Russia as well, is confirmed by the latest discoveries made by Novik and other Russian archaeologists.

Novik is a professor at Saint Petersburg University and also the Director of the European Studies’ Department at Kunstkamera Museum in the same city. He has always been interested in studying Balkan traditions and their preservation through the centuries. He has visited Albania several times and speaks Albanian fluently since his earlier years. His teacher, who taught him Albanian at the university, lived in Albania until the 1960s.

Novik himself has organised various expeditions with his students in the area of the Azov Sea, in which there are a number of villages founded by Albanians during the 18th century. Twenty years ago, in the same region, the Russian archaeologist, Midriz Injuk discovered some bricks with Albanian old writings inscribed on them. But the greatest expedition was organized in 2015, led by the Russian archaeologist Dmitry Zenyuk. It was an ethno-linguistic expedition from Saint Petersburg University that went to the Rostov region, precisely to the villages of Margaritovo and Albanski near the Azov Sea. The reason for the expedition was the discovery of a rare monument belonging to the ancient Albanian heritage mentioned above. 200 more bricks having inscriptions similar to the three alphabets used in Albania 500 years ago were discovered there.

The alphabet letters look like have borrowed a lot of aesthetics from other alphabets and if someone is to believe that this alphabet is designed on purpose by someone in Albania in early 19th Century and it spread as far the shores of Azov by Albanian migrants, then these people knew no boundaries. The preservation of the letters is remarkable.

But, you guys know me. I suspect always. I think that this alphabet was already in use before the 19th Century in East Europe, and it might have been very common for the people using it, kind of what is English language today. Something must have happened that it got lost or it was suppressed by a third party. And it's archeological remains were preserved here and there of whatever little was spared or saved. I think language and scripts deserve more accurate attention in order to understand the old world.

 

[PantaOz]

Now, the interesting thing is that bricks with these type of letters engraved on them were found in Russia and Ukraine across the shores of the Azov Sea.

View attachment 22569​

Belarusian Archeologist Discovers Old Albanian Inscriptions On Bricks In Russia
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In official scientific circles today, there are two currents that represent conflicting opinions regarding the ethnic origins of Albanians, i.e. as they call themselves – Shqipetara (I hope I spelt it right):

1) to originate directly from (surviving and unassimilated) Balkan natives Illyrians or

2) that Balkan Albanians are of Caucasus origin (i.e. newcomers, not natives).

From a qualitative-methodological point of view, this second ("Caucasus") theory has several scientific basis, because it is based on at least some historical sources, at least one of which is very reliable (Byzantine historian Mihailo Ataliota), unlike the first ("Illyrian") theory (whose most ardent supporters are Albanians, for understandable political reasons).

According to Mikhail Ataliota (Michael Ataliota, Corpus Scroptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1853, p. 18), Byzantine Commander of Sicily Giorgio Maniac, in order to forcibly seize Constantinople and the imperial throne, set off in 1043 with his army, which included Sicilian Albanians (previously moved to inhabit Sicily from the Caucasus by Arabs) with their wives and children.

After a military defeat by a legitimate imperial commander at Dojran Lake, Sicilian Albanians asked local Slavs to allow them to settle in the nearby mountains, which they allowed them to do. Thus, according to this Byzantine source, the Caucasus-Sicilian Albanians (in Turkish Arnauts – "those who did not return") settled in an area northeast of the town of Elbasan with the permission of the Byzantine authorities at the time.

This "Caucasus" theory of the origin of Balkan Albanians is confirmed by some Albanian historians, as in the book: Stefang Pollo, Arben Puto, The History of Albania, London: Routledge &Kegan, 1981, p. 37.

Do you think that it's possible that the Belarusian findings are the original writing of the earliest script "rediscovered" by Naum, thus confirming the second origin theory?

The style of writing looks very similar to the Eastern Armenian script... so, there are more connections there! Just a possibility to think about!

 

[Deleted member 37]

After a military defeat by a legitimate imperial commander at Dojran Lake, Sicilian Albanians asked local Slavs to allow them to settle in the nearby mountains, which they allowed them to do. Thus, according to this Byzantine source, the Caucasus-Sicilian Albanians (in Turkish Arnauts – "those who did not return") settled in an area northeast of the town of Elbasan with the permission of the Byzantine authorities at the time.

This may explain the passage in Anna Komnene's Alexiad where she says:
"When some small towns bordering on Arbanum (Ἄρβανον) fell into Bohemund’s hands, their inhabitants, who were intimately acquainted with all the roads round Arbanum, came to him and explained the exact position of Devra and showed him the hidden paths."

The wiki says Arbanum was a "former bishopric and present titular see in present Albania", but I couldn't find the exact position of this town in present day Albania. Was it none other than Elbasan? It would fit with the position of the other city mentioned by the name of Devra (Δεύρην), modern Debar in North Macedonia.

 

[PantaOz]

This may explain the passage in Anna Komnene's Alexiad where she says:
"When some small towns bordering on Arbanum (Ἄρβανον) fell into Bohemund’s hands, their inhabitants, who were intimately acquainted with all the roads round Arbanum, came to him and explained the exact position of Devra and showed him the hidden paths."

The wiki says Arbanum was a "former bishopric and present titular see in present Albania", but I couldn't find the exact position of this town in present day Albania. Was it none other than Elbasan? It would fit with the position of the other city mentioned by the name of Devra (Δεύρην), modern Debar in North Macedonia.

You could be right...
The description and the names match.

 

[busy.baci]

According to Mikhail Ataliota (Michael Ataliota, Corpus Scroptorum Historiae Byzantinae, Bonn: Weber, 1853, p. 18), Byzantine Commander of Sicily Giorgio Maniac, in order to forcibly seize Constantinople and the imperial throne, set off in 1043 with his army, which included Sicilian Albanians (previously moved to inhabit Sicily from the Caucasus by Arabs) with their wives and children.

Sicily has been invaded by many different nationalities throughout history and yes, there are small enclaves of Albanians who settled in South Italy today the Arbëresh community during the 11th and 14th centuries by migrating from the regions of Epirus the so called by the Greeks, Arvanitas.

Between the 11th and 14th centuries, Albanian-speaking mercenaries from the areas of Albania, Epirus and new Greece, were often recruited by the Franks, Aragonese, Italians and Byzantines.

The invasion of the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century caused large waves of emigration from the Balkans to southern Italy. In 1448, the King of Naples, Alfonso V of Aragon, asked the Albanian noble Skanderbeg to transfer to his service ethnic Albanian mercenaries. Led by Demetrio Reres and his two sons, these men and their families were settled in twelve villages in the Catanzaro area of Calabria. The following year, some of their relatives and other Albanians were settled in four villages in Sicily.[2][3] In 1459 Ferdinand I of Naples also requested assistance from Skanderbeg. After victories in two battles, a second contingent of Albanians was rewarded with land east of Taranto, in Apulia, where they founded 15 villages.[4][5] After the death of Skanderbeg (1468), resistance to the Ottomans in Albania came to an end. Subsequently, many Albanians fled to neighbouring countries and some settled in villages in Calabria.

Arbëresh derives from a medieval variety of Tosk, which was spoken in southern Albania and from which the modern Tosk is also derived. It follows a similar evolutionary pattern to Arvanitika, a similar language spoken in Greece. Arbëresh is spoken in Southern Italy in the regions of Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia and Sicily. The varieties of Arbëresh are closely related to each other but are not always entirely mutually intelligible.

Arbëresh retains many features of medieval Albanian from the time before the Ottoman invasion of Albania in the 15th century. It also retains some Greek elements, including vocabulary and pronunciation, most of which it shares with its relative Arvanitika. Many of the conservative features of Arbëresh were lost in mainstream Albanian Tosk. For example, it has preserved certain syllable-initial consonant clusters which have been simplified in Standard Albanian (cf. Arbëresh gluhë /ˈɡluxə/ ('language/tongue'), vs. Standard Albanian gjuhë /ˈɟuhə/). Arbëresh most resembles the dialect of Albanian spoken in the south-central region of Albania, and also that of Çam Albanians.

The fact that there was a account of Albanians coming into Sicily from Asia is very biased, more likely the author was refering to the Abëresh community and was hardly trying to fit this narrative, that Albanian speaking populations (different Illyrian tribes) are not autocthonous, so it can justify ethnic cleansing from their lands.

There is plenty of evidence of Albanian speaking Illyrians were fighting and being overwhelmed by the Roman Empire. You can read more regarding it in the article below so I don't have to fill the post with quotes.

• Illustrious Post-Macedon Illyria and the Roman Illyrian Wars

There are similarities with the script of Vithkuq with that of Armenia, but so are also similarities with the scripts of East Asia, like in the link below.

• Type Inspiration: Asian Scripts

You said it yourself, we have two very different and irreconcilable stances on who and where the Albanians came from. I can't post whole books of evidence that the Albanians are aoutochtonous which is overwhelming in contrast to theories that try really hard to prove that the Albanian speaking populations came from Asia, and those theories don't even bother to find that ample evidence if it was so, they just nitpick something small here and there and completely disregard the large evidence that proves that the Illyrians were already in the Western Ballkans, but that in itself doesn't mean that they all were Albanians. For example the Dalmatians were Illyrians, but no ones is claiming them as part of Albania today to be clear.

So you're right, let's just agree to disagree with each-other stances, because the same way you refuted some of the evidence I mentioned prior, I will do the same to yours. Cheers.

 

[PantaOz]

The fact that there was a account of Albanians coming into Sicily from Asia is very biased, more likely the author was refering to the Abëresh community and was hardly trying to fit this narrative, that Albanian speaking populations (different Illyrian tribes) are not autocthonous, so it can justify ethnic cleansing from their lands.

There is plenty of evidence of There are similarities with the script of Vithkuq with that of Armenia, but so are also similarities with the scripts of East Asia, like in the link below.

• Type Inspiration: Asian Scripts

You said it yourself, we have two very different and irreconcilable stances on who and where the Albanians came from. I can't post whole books of evidence that the Albanians are aoutochtonous which is overwhelming in contrast to theories that try really hard to prove that the Albanian speaking populations came from Asia, and those theories don't even bother to find that ample evidence if it was so, they just nitpick something small here and there and completely disregard the large evidence that proves that the Illyrians were already in the Western Ballkans, but that in itself doesn't mean that they all were Albanians. For example the Dalmatians were Illyrians, but no ones is claiming them as part of Albania today to be clear.

Sorry if you think I was nitpicking... I was just expressing my view from what I know as an observer who spent his life searching for truth... you are right about the Burmese, Tibetan... scripts have some connection ... another thing to explore... so many things and so little time.

Well... at the end only Socrates was right... the only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing... so, I will continue reading with interest.

I just want to mention that everything ever written has only 4 reasons for writing it:

to entertain
to inform
to educate
to change someone's opinion...

and we can be sometimes guessing that something was written for a different reason by mistake and we react 'accordingly'... which is a mistake. I want to apologize if I did that in my discussion with you. Everyone deserves equal respect...

 

[busy.baci]

and we can be sometimes guessing that something was written for a different reason by mistake and we react 'accordingly'... which is a mistake. I want to apologize if I did in my discussion with you. Everyone deserves equal respect...

No need to apologize, it's fine, we're all being exposed to contradicting theories and facts and maintaining a level head is key in all this.

 

[Deleted member 37]

Albanians who settled in South Italy today the Arbëresh community during the 11th and 14th centuries

Albanians actually settled in southern Italy during the 15th century, not considering the original Albanians coming from Sicily during the 11th century as pointed out by PantaOz.

 

[_Raven_]

There is a strange and old Albanian alphabet designed specifically for the Albanian language with 33 letters (strange indeed)….

One more resemblance added to those PantaOz noted in the Armenian alphabet, which also had 33 letters at one point — and the Georgian alphabet, which still does.

 

[busy.baci]

One more resemblance added to those PantaOz noted in the Armenian alphabet, which also had 33 letters at one point — and the Georgian alphabet, which still does.

33 is the magic number I think it's creator Naum Veqilharxhi was a Freemason and was purposely using it to mark the renaissance of the Albanian literature leaving his mark also.

 

[_Raven_]

33 is the magic number I think it's creator Naum Veqilharxhi was a Freemason and was purposely using it to mark the renaissance of the Albanian literature leaving his mark also.

By some calculations, Jesus was 33 years old when he was crucified.