Beci, Kosovo

Village in Gjakova, Kosovo

Beci

* Beci (Albanian)
* Бец/Bec (Serbian)

Village

Beci

Coordinates: 42°26′35″N 20°26′58″E﻿ / ﻿42.44306°N 20.44944°E﻿ / 42.44306; 20.44944
Country|  Kosovo
District| Gjakova
Municipality| Gjakova
Elevation

| 350 m (1,150 ft)
Population

(2024)[1]

• Total

| 956
Time zone| UTC+1 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)

Beci is a village in the Dushkaja subregion in the Gjakova Municipality of Kosovo. It is almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Albanians, who form the near-absolute majority of the village's population.

## Etymology

[edit]

It is believed that the toponym is derived from the Albanian word Bec-i, which means "little lamb" in Albanian.[2]

## Geography

[edit]

Beci is bordered by Sapot to the west, Zhdrellë and Rashkoc to the northwest and north, Cërmjan to the northeast, Meqe east, Doblibare and Vraniq to the southeast and with Lugu e Bunarit to the south and southwest. It is located in the ethnographic Dushkaja region, and is situated around 7 km northeast of Gjakova.

## History

[edit]

Beci is divided into two sections - Beci i Epër (Upper Beci) and Beci i Poshtëm (Lower Beci). In the cadastral documents of the Sanjak of Shkodra in 1485, the village is mentioned with the name Beçi.[3] The inhabitants bore a mixture of Albanian, Christian and Slavic names.[4]

In the Ottoman register of 1582 the inhabitants bore majority Albanian names, indicating the village was historically inhabited by an Albanian population.[5][6]

## Anthropology

[edit]

Beci is inhabited by a near-absolute majority of ethnic Albanians, and most of the inhabitants traditionally belonged to a single Albanian tribal brotherhood around 300 years ago - the Mërturi-Berisha. The village was traditionally divided into 4 neighbourhoods - the neighbourhoods of the Biblekët, Ndreajt, Salcët and Tetajt. The Muslim and Catholic Albanians here belong to the same brotherhood.[7] There is also a family that hails from the Krasniqi tribe and one that hails from the Thaçi tribe.[8]

## Notes

[edit]

## References

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1. ^ "ASK Data - Regjistrimi popullsisë". Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës (ASK). 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
2. ^ Morina, Zeki (2017). TEMA: TOPONIMIA DHE ANTROPONIMIA E GJAKOVËS ME RRETHINË ( Shqyrtime etnolinguistike ) (PDF) (Thesis). Shkodër: INSTITUTI I STUDIMEVE ALBANOLOGJIKE, UNIVERSITETI I SHKODRËS “LUIGJ GURAKUQI”. p. 79. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
3. ^ Morina, Zeki (2017). TEMA: TOPONIMIA DHE ANTROPONIMIA E GJAKOVËS ME RRETHINË ( Shqyrtime etnolinguistike ) (PDF) (Thesis). Shkodër: INSTITUTI I STUDIMEVE ALBANOLOGJIKE, UNIVERSITETI I SHKODRËS “LUIGJ GURAKUQI”. p. 79. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
4. ^ Selami Pulaha - Defteri i regjistrimit te Sanxhakut te Shkodrs i vitit 1485 p. 310
5. ^ Selami Pulaha - Defteri i regjistrimit te Sanxhakut te Shkodres i vitit 1485
6. ^ Popullsia Shqiptare e Kosoves Gjate Shekujve
7. ^ Morina, Zeki (2017). TEMA: TOPONIMIA DHE ANTROPONIMIA E GJAKOVËS ME RRETHINË ( Shqyrtime etnolinguistike ) (PDF) (Thesis). Shkodër: INSTITUTI I STUDIMEVE ALBANOLOGJIKE, UNIVERSITETI I SHKODRËS “LUIGJ GURAKUQI”. p. 78. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
8. ^ Hoxha, Skënder R. "Një kapitull i historisë së Becit të Dushkajës". Zemra Shqiptare.