Ristic: There are no Albanians in the Middle Ages – Politics

Historian Dejan Ristic declared today that there are no Albanians in the Middle Ages on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija and that the cultural monuments located in that area, which belong to the Christian heritage, are Serbian cultural heritage for the simple reason that they were erected or restored by medieval Serbian rulers. , nobles and ecclesiastical credentials.

Photo: from personal archive

So there has never been a dilemma in science, not in the least, not only in ours, but also in world historiography, Ristic added, calling, as he said, under the signs of accusations from his fellow historians to back your affirmations with concrete facts.

“If some ‘my fellow’ historians from Pristina or Tirana have such views, it would be nice to back up those views with historical sources, to show us what are the historical sources that have been unknown to science for centuries, which could yield new lightweight.

However, there are no such sources and there cannot be, this is a falsification of history ”, added Ristic.

These are “unfortunate cases”, he noted, in which some educated historians and archaeologists succumb to the pressure of everyday politics and seek to make science patriotic.

Ristic reacted to the writing of Pristina’s newspaper Koha Ditore, in which it was stated that the facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo are Kosovo’s cultural heritage and that they were built and improved on “ancient Illyrian and Arberian temples”. “And science must not be patriotic or non-patriotic, science must be science.” Science bases its knowledge on the basis of scientific data and historical facts, and facts cannot be patriotic or non-patriotic, they are facts and nothing more “Ristic said in a statement to Kosovo Online.

As he pointed out, throughout the history of the human species, it is completely common for places of worship to be erected as places of worship after the former ones were demolished or destroyed by various factors. (end) js “And there is nothing controversial here, because there are hundreds of cases of this type, not to mention thousands around the world, especially in Europe. Some of our medieval places of worship have their origin in the foundations of Byzantine churches, which is also completely indisputable. Thus, the church of Bogordica Ljeviška represents an extension, an extension of the construction of the previous Byzantine basilica.

These are things that are generally known in history and historical science and there is no dilemma when it comes to the identity characteristics of cultural heritage. These are all Serbian Orthodox monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, “Ristic emphasized.

He mentioned that all of this simply has nothing to do with the Albanians. Why those who demolished now embrace cultural heritage Ristic says the question should now be asked why only in 2020 is it necessary to appropriate Kosovo’s Christian heritage.

“An extremely logical question arises, and that is if Albanian extremists have systematically destroyed the same cultural heritage in previous decades and centuries, why are they now appropriating it?” So, until now, it was Serbian, someone else’s, opponent, unwanted, hostile, and now they suddenly saw it and realized that it was actually theirs.

These are attempts by amateurs to change the identity characteristics of cultural heritage and they are condemned, like all eras in history, for the simple reason that historical realities are immutable ”, Ristic specified.

In science, things are very clear, Ristic points out, adding that what people say “has taken over a place of worship” is just ordinary politics, and things are simple, or you have proof of a claim or not. Kosovo Online.

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