Early development '' The most ancient group of people that inhabited the territory of
Kosovo, in the
6th and
5th millenniums BC was the
Starčevo culture. Members of this group built homes near rivers and river terraces. They made their homes of willows and mud, while their main profession was plowing and farming. In the next archaeological period, the
Vinča culture developed in some parts of Kosovo. These population shifts were made around 4300 BC. The newcomers also built their habitats near rivers. These habitats were unfortified, with dense rows of willows and mud houses. Remnants of their material culture, mostly different forms of ceramic vessels and large numbers of baked clay figures, testify on a higher cultural level. Following the previously mentioned,
Starčevo and
Vinča, the Bubanj-Hum culture arrived in Kosovo. This cultural group expanded from the east, from the territory of today's
Bulgaria. When carriers of this ethno-cultural group reached the region before the end of the 6th millennium BC, they destroyed
Vinča habitats. Remnants of their material culture have not survived. After Bubanj-Hum, the
Baden culture arrived from the Danube, representing its southernmost influence in Kosovo. Baden culture ended before the end of the 3rd millennium BC. Starting from the 8th century BC and then during the next centuries, until the
Roman conquest, can transmit continuously development of a new culture in the region, the
Dardanian tribe. The Dardanian burned their dead and bury their remnants in
tumuli tombs. In the city, two necropoleis have been found, one in the locality of Kuline near the railway station in Gërlicë, the other in region of Mollopolc, along the Ferizaj-
Shtime road. Around 280 BC some episodes from the life of Dardania reaches historical records as a political community ruled by a king. Most of the information on the Dardanians is about their wars against the
Macedons. The first contact between the Dardania and the Romans came in 200 BC when they offered military assistance in the fight against Macedonia. In 96 BC the Roman Emperor
Sulla subdued the Dardani. Numerous
Roman settlements were established across the valley, on the old lake terraces. These settlements also accompanied a road network; connecting cities such as
Ulpiana and
Skopje, which was part of the important road connecting Macedonia to
Dalmatia, passing across Ferizaj and the gorge of
Kaçanik. A part of the road was discovered on the river bed of the
Lepenac, one near the village of Doganaj, the other near the village of Reka.
Medieval period In the late 13th century, Serbian king
Stefan Milutin built
two medieval fortresses (Veliki Petrič and Mali Petrič) to protect his court in Nerodimlja, located west of present-day Ferizaj.
Ottoman period The town, named
Ferızovık when it was part of the
Ottoman Empire, was little more than a village until 1873 when the
Mitrovica–
Skopje railway station was built in the area. During the
Ottoman–Habsburg wars of the late 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, major ethnic changes occurred and the rapid Islamisation from
Ottoman Empire began. The city became home to different inns, warehouses, and permanent markets. In addition to the name established by the Ottoman authorities, the town was also called "Tasjon" by surrounding villagers; dervied from the French word
station. –
Mitrovica railway line Traders of Kosovo from
Prizren to
Shkodër, which at that time was by caravan, were mainly diverted towards
Thessaloniki. Exporting raw materials especially that of cereals went through Ferizaj and through aligned foreign goods turnover came from Thessaloniki and Skopje. During this period, the opening of the colonial shops, craft workshops accelerated the development of the city. Most of the population worked in crafts and other activities related to trade. By 1900, Ferizaj became a city with about 400 houses and 200 shops.
Balkan Wars When the settlement fell to Serbia during the
First Balkan War, the local Albanian population offered determined resistance. According to certain reports, fighting lasted for three days. The Serbian commander then ordered the population to surrender. When the survivors returned, 300–400 men were executed The
massacre of the Albanian population following the entry of the Serbian army was described by Leo Freundlich who recorded contemporary reports in ''
Albania's Golgotha''. According to the war correspondent from Rome's
Il Messaggero, the town was destroyed and most of its inhabitants were killed. Freundlich estimated the total number of deaths to be 1,200. in Ferizaj'' The
Treaty of London in 1913 turned Ferizovik into a part of the
Kingdom of Serbia, and the name was changed to Uroševac, after
Stefan Uroš V of Serbia. This was part of the
Serbianisation efforts of the early twentieth century in which inhabited places within Kosovo were named after heroes from
Serbian epic poetry.
World War I The beginning of the
First World War partly began with
Serbia and
Montenegro, and because both were involved directly from the beginning of the war, Kosovo was plagued with fighting. In October 1915,
Bulgaria entered the war as an ally of the
German Empire, and conducted military operations in the Ferizaj area that were part of the main artery connecting
Kumanovo and
Skopje with
Kosovo. The city had served as a stopping point during the Bulgarian penetration of the
Kaçanik Gorge. The Serbian resistance ended on 25 November 1915, when it was vanquished by the Bulgarian Army. This was facilitated by Albanians in hopes that the situation would change and the area would be freed. On 1 April 1916, Ferizaj was left to Bulgaria as a station key, but the usage of the railway was also granted to the
Austro–Hungarian Empire as the line: Prizren – Ferizaj – Albania.
World War II The early months of the
World War II had a positive impact on the residents of Ferizaj for not realising the
Convention of 1938, which was signed between
Yugoslavia and Turkey for the resettlement of Albanians in
Turkey, and that included the massive resettlement of the residents of the District of Nerodime. Under this convention, this migration was to be imposed in the period of 1939 until 1944. The attack led by Italy to
Albania that it had not been realised. Under the invasion of Albanian territory by Italians and
Germans, the Italian troops were deployed in Ferizaj, due to an auxiliary army airport of the
Kingdom of Serbia being discovered, which served Italian military aircraft. In 1941, the
Communist Party's leading bodies of Ferizaj implored more residents to join the
National Liberation Movement. By the end of this year, previously established groups of illegal arms were conducting business in the city. With the capitulation of Italy, the country was occupied by Germany, and the behavior of the German occupation was more favorable to the Albanian population than that of the
Italians. On 11–12 September 1943, 60 Serbs were killed by
Ballists in the area of Ferizaj. The excuse given for the massacre was that a communist activist wounded 2 Albanian gendarme. After the German invasion, the National Liberation Movement was strengthened even further until 1943 when the arrest and deportation of all participants began. This movement eventually resulted in the liberation of the city on 2 December 1944, and later, in the liberation of the country. After the liberation of Ferizaj, two tasks stood afront the National Liberation Movement: release and protect territory, and rebuild the economy of the country.
Kosovo War from above in Ferizaj Later, the city suffered some damages during the 1999
Kosovo War, with some of its Albanian-populated neighbourhoods being shelled and burned by the
Yugoslav Army. Following the war, the city has seen serious inter-communal unrest, which has resulted in almost all of the Serbians, and other non-Albanian inhabitants, either being expelled or forced to flee. The Serbian churches of
St. Nicholas and
St. Stephen were destroyed in 1999 in an act of rebellion.
Camp Bondsteel, the main base of the
United States Army detachment to the
KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo, is located nearby. The camp was established immediately after the war. The camp is one of the largest in the area, being formed by 955 acres or 360,000 square meters. Bondsteel is located on hills and farmland near the city of Ferizaj. == Geography ==