In the Hot of Malësi e Madhe, the ceremony for the completion of the works for the re-erection of the well-known tower of Çunmulaj and its transformation into the Museum of Malësi took place. The tribe of Çunmulaj has produced prominent figures who have left their mark in the history of the nation and the Highlands for their efforts in defense of the Albanian identity and land, among which the leader and popular warrior Çun Mula, a participant in the Albanian League of Prizren, stands out. As reported by Hoti i Malësë e Madhe, Voice of America correspondent Pëllumb Sulo, the Çunmulaj Tower was abandoned and almost destroyed during the communist period, while the Çunmulaj heirs were exiled and imprisoned.
The inauguration ceremony of the completion of the works for the rebuilding of the Çunmulaj Tower and its transformation into a museum gathered in the Hot of Malësë i Madhe residents of Malësë, Shkodra, Tuzi and Triesh as well as representatives of the Albanians of America, who contributed to the rebuilding of the tower.
The plaque with the inscription “Tower of the Bajraktars of Hoti, Malësia e Madhe Museum” was unveiled by the mayor of Malësia e Madhe, Tonin Marinaj together with the initiator of the tower's reconstruction, the head of the association “Tower of the Bajraktars of Hoti”, Arjan Bajraktari.
Speaking at the occasion ceremony, Arjan Bajraktari appreciated the fact that this cultural and historical initiative found the massive support of the Highlanders, on both sides of the border, but also in the diaspora, thus giving the Highlands one of the most important proofs of its identity.
“On that not-so-distant day, February 12, 2022, here in Hot, in this courtyard, at the opening of the campaign where the first donor was Mark Gjoku Ulaj who donated 5 thousand dollars in the name of his brotherhood, maybe no one thought that this fund-raising campaign would take on such massive proportions that we would be able to inaugurate today, August 16, 2024, the completion of the renovation works of the tower, moreover, with a modest museum concept,” he said.
The tower of Çunmulaj, in the Hot of the Great Highlands, has its beginnings around the years 1770-1780 to travel through the centuries, leaving an important mark in the history of the Highlands and the nation through the leaders and popular warriors of the Çunmulaj, who lead the Hoti and Highlands in the wars against the Ottoman and Montenegrin armies in defense of the national borders.
Among them stands out the flag bearer of Hoti, Çun Mula, one of the most important figures of the Highlands, a participant in the Albanian League of Prizren and in the battles for the protection of Albanian lands. After the establishment of communism, the heirs of Çunmulaj were exiled and imprisoned, while their tower began to be abandoned and destroyed.
Speaking about the history of the tower and its heirs, Professor Lekë Junçaj said, among other things, that it was an arboreal castle.
“This gigantic building was not only a residence tower, but it was the capital of Hoti, the epicenter of the seven mountains of the Highlands for the many gatherings, engagements, reconciliations and covenants of the long-suffering mountain people. It was an arboreal fortress, protecting our land and our best values, from where the north-western border was protected from Serbo-Montenegrin invasions for centuries,” he says.
About 500 people from Albania, Kosovo, Albanians in Montenegro, Europe, Canada and the USA have given their financial contributions for the rebuilding of the Çunmulaj Tower.
Coming from New York, where he has immigrated for 50 years, Mark Gjok Ulaj says that this has proven the great appreciation of the highlanders for the chieftain of Hoti, Çun Mula, and all the members of the Çunmulaj tribe.
“Chun Mula of Hoti led our Bajrak of Hoti and was one of the best men the Albanian nation has ever had. After him, everyone came, each one better than the other. Mul Delija was the flag bearer of Hoti. He was the captain who completed his schooling in Italy and saved Malesia e Madhe, when communism came, so that my brother would not be killed,” he says.
Although far away from their homeland, the Albanians who have been immigrating to America for years, continue to keep alive the history of the Hoti of the Great Highlands and the leaders and popular warriors who fought the Highlanders over the centuries.
The representative of the highlanders from Michigan, Gjokë Martin Noni Junçaj, said that with the reconstruction of the Çunmulaj tower, the highlanders proved that they preserve and inherit their values.
“When I heard about this project, I appreciated the value it has for our people. We all know that everything that is born must also die. Yes, the history of Albanians never dies. Today we honored Chun Mula and our Highlands and Albanianism”, he says.
The two-storied tower of Çunmulaj now appears rebuilt in the middle of the field of Hoti, next to the church built a few years ago, also with the contribution of the Albanians of America.
