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The National Geographic Magazine 



ASIATIC SOLDIERS OF THE TURKISH ARMY 

 IN MACEDONIA 



tions unwritten as sacredly as are feuds. 

 Some strange customs exist. To com- 

 pliment an unmarried woman, for in- 

 stance, is provocation for death. A 

 bloody enemy is under amnesty while in 

 the company of a woman. A woman 

 may shoot a fiance who breaks his be- 

 trothal or call upon the young man's 

 father to kill him. If a man commits 

 murder, and, flying for his life, -enters 

 the house of another, friend or foe, he 

 is safe. This is the case, even if he takes 

 refuge in the house of a brother of the 

 man he has slain. He may not remain 

 there forever ; but for three days he can 

 live on the best that the house provides. 

 When that time is up, he is shown on his 

 way. Twenty- four hours is given him to 

 make his escape ; after that the bessa is 

 over and the blood feud begins. 



In their national dress the Albanians 

 of the north are always distinguishable. 

 The men wear baggy trousers, usually 

 white, tight fitting at the ankle. Down 

 each side of them and over the back is 

 a broad band of rich black silk cording. 

 Very often a design in rich red tapers 

 down each leg to the knee. A broad 

 sash (over a leather belt), between 



trousers and shirt, serves as holster for 

 pistol and yataghan. A short, richly 

 worked waistcoat reaches down to the 

 top of the sash, but misses meeting across 

 the chest by six inches. The costumes 

 differ considerably in various parts of 

 Albania. In Southern Albania the men 

 wear pleated ballet skirts like the North- 

 ern Greeks. 



For headgear the Albanian generally 

 wears a tiny, tight-fitting white skull-cap 

 which looks in the sun like a bald spot. 

 Some wear caps of Ottoman red, from 

 which a rich, full, flowing silk tassel of 

 black or dark blue falls to the shoulders. 



The cut of the hair is peculiar. The 

 men of one section will have their heads 

 closely shaven, except in one circular 

 space about an inch across. The single 

 tuft curls down underneath the cap like 

 a Red Indian's scalp-lock. Others will 

 shave the top of the head where the cap 

 rests. There is reason for this ; as the 

 Mohammedan seldom removes his fez, 

 the heat over the head is thereby equal- 

 ized. There are a dozen other cuts, none 

 of which beautify the Albanian ; never- 

 theless, he is always of striking appear- 

 ance. 



The Albanians are of pure European 

 origin. They are tall, broad-shouldered 

 men, with fine faces. They are quite un- 

 like any of the other people of Mace- 

 donia, even speaking a totally different 

 language. While nothing definite is 

 known of their origin, it is more than 

 probable that they are the descendants 

 of the ancient Illyrians, who once occu- 

 pied all the western side of the Balkan 

 Peninsula, and were gradually driven to 

 the mountains of Albania by the suc- 

 cessive invasions of Greeks, Romans, 

 Slavs, and Turks. 



Albania has never been wholly sub- 

 dued or civilized. It was partially 

 conquered by Servian princes in the 

 Middle Ages, and under them attained a 

 certain civilization ; but at the Turkish 

 conquest it relapsed into a wild state. 



The majority of the Albanians have 

 become Mohammedans, chiefly because 

 the religion carried with it the right to 

 bear arms and other privileges. 



